Olympic megastar Klassen an 'underdog'
Surgery, missed seasons put record medal winner in a whole new position
Last Updated: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 | 4:22 PM ET
By Lindsey Craig, CBC Sports
In 2006, the IOC declared Cindy Klassen "Woman of the Games". (Jean-Pierre Clatot/Getty Images) Less than two months before the Vancouver Olympics, Cindy Klassen's dream came true.
She made the team.
But what's so striking isn't that the long-track speedskater qualified — it's that she worried she wouldn't.
Klassen is an Olympic hero. At the 2006 Games, she didn't just win one medal, or even a few. She won five Olympic medals — in one Games.
Combined with a bronze from 2002, she's Canada's most decorated Olympic athlete and the IOC's 2006 "Woman of the Games."
Given her resume, it doesn't sound right that Klassen heads to 2010 a self-described "underdog."
But it's true.
"So far this season, I haven't even hit the podium," the 30-year-old said in December 2009. "I'm still waiting to see if I get to go."
Teammates pre-qualified
Klassen, left, and Kristina Groves celebrate winning the gold and silver medals in the 1,500m race at the 2006 Games. (Torsten Silz/Getty Images)Not so for her teammates. The spectacular results in the regular season for Kristina Groves and Christine Nesbitt meant they pre-qualified for the Games.
But Klassen's performance wasn't nearly enough to do the same.
In fact, in four World Cup events this past November and December, her best individual finish was ninth place — twice in the 3,000-metre, and once in the 1,500, considered her specialty.
It wasn't until the national trials (the Canadian Single Distance speedskating championships, held Dec. 27-Jan. 2), just weeks from the 2010 Games, that the Winnipeg native could start packing her bags.
She qualified for the 3,000, 1,500 and 5,000 events, coming second in each.
After qualifying, she said, "I'm just grateful for the opportunity."
But how does an athlete descend from medal-lock to merely hoping to qualify?
Klassen's fall began when she missed most of the 2007-08 season.
A 'miracle'
In January 2008, while competing in Europe, Klassen received word that her sister, Lisa, was fighting for her life after her SUV plunged into Winnipeg's Red River.
Klassen flew home to be at her sister's bedside.
"I had a long way to come before I could see her," a tearful Klassen had told reporters. "It was hard to be on those planes, just waiting."
Klassen pushes her sister Lisa past media at a press conference on Feb. 14, 2008, more than a week after Lisa's near fatal accident. (John Woods/Canadian Press)At the Montreal airport, she saw footage of the accident on TV, with her sister's car upside-down on the ice. "That was really hard to take," she said.
Rescuers said Lisa's head may have been under water for at least five minutes before she was resuscitated.
Klassen called it a "miracle" her sister wasn't paralyzed and didn't suffer any brain damage, though she did have a broken vertebra and tail bone. She also underwent a lengthy process of draining water from her lungs.
Within weeks, Lisa began the painful process of learning to walk again. Klassen decided to forgo the rest of her season to stay at home with her sister.
(Today, Klassen's mom, Helga, says Lisa is "doing very well" and has resumed work as a flight instructor).
Difficult news
When the speedskater was ready to get back on the ice, in July 2008, another bout of difficult news thwarted her plan. Surgery was needed on both of her knees.
"We were hoping I wouldn't have to have the surgery because there were other treatments available … but nothing was really working," she said, noting the surgery was to "repair wear and tear".
Helga Klassen said it wasn't an easy decision for her daughter.
"I think she was nervous since it was for both knees, because there's no guarantee things will work out the way you hope," she said.
'That's what makes a champion, I think — that ability to stick with it and do whatever it takes every day.'—Michael Crowe, Klassen's coach
Klassen went under the knife in July.
Doctors were confident she'd be skating again in three months.
But it wasn't until January 2009 that Klassen tested her knees on the oval for the first time.
And that's essentially where it ended. She remained out of competition for the rest of the 2008-09 season to focus on recovery.
It wasn't until the World Cup circuit began this past November — three months before the Olympic opening ceremony — that she returned.
As her results have indicated, it's been a whole new season.
"It's a little more uncertain because my knees have held me back. I'm trying to get into race shape again," she said.
Her coach, Michael Crowe, said the slow recovery has been frustrating but that Klassen hasn't been deterred.
"That's what makes a champion, I think — that ability to stick with it and do whatever it takes every day," he said.
Role reversal
It has certainly been a change of pace for the Canadian team.
Where Nesbitt and Groves were once chasing Klassen, now it's Klassen trying to keep up with them.
"I think some days it is disheartening, but for her, it's about using her gifts to the best of her ability," Crowe said.
The role reversal is so extreme that Groves, who qualified for five events at the Vancouver Games, could tie Klassen's 2006 medal record.
For some athletes, the shift in status might have been difficult. But Klassen shows no signs of a bruised ego.
"It's inspiring to see them skate so well," Klassen said of Nesbitt and Groves. "It's neat because they do well and it brings the team up. Just trying to chase them is motivating."
Klassen skates to a second place finish in the women's 3000-metre event at the Canadian Single Distance speedskating championships on Dec. 28, 2009. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)Canadian speedskater Catriona Le May Doan, a two-time Olympic gold medallist, isn't surprised by Klassen's positive attitude.
"She has a wonderful perspective on her skating and on life," Le May Doan. "She wants to be competitive, but … she knows her results don't define her."
Klassen also says her faith in God helps.
"I know that he's in control of the situation ... Sometimes it's hard not going as fast as you have in the past but I'm just trusting in Him and doing the best I can," she said.
Qualifying for the Olympics shows she's getting there.
Podium contender
In fact, Crowe said Klassen is getting stronger every day — so strong, he says, that people should not discount her as a podium contender.
"She's only been able to do the real strength training and real power training in the last two months. She's really started to accelerate," he said.
Even with that acceleration, Klassen's stature doesn't compare to that of 2006. Still, she said the chance to compete at Canada's Games makes it just as thrilling.
"I definitely wanted to race for Canada in Canada. I just thought that would be a huge honour, and with my surgery I didn't expect that to happen," she said.
"It's a different spot to be in, but it's also kind of exciting - the challenge of trying to see if I can make it back."
