Name Cindy Klassen 

Olympics 2006 Turin, Italy 

Event Speed skating, 1,500 metres 

The setting There was already no questioning Klassen's Olympic credentials. Coming into the day, she was tied as the most decorated Canadian female Olympian of all time with four medals. Still, none of them were gold.

On the day Klassen, a Winnipeg native, had already registered three medals in Turin, making her a shoo-in to hold the flag at the Games' Closing Ceremonies. But none of her medals were gold, and the 1,500-metre race was her best shot. The defending world champion in the distance, Klassen had no peer in the race. Skating in the 17th of 18 pairs along with defending Olympic champion Anni Friesinger, Klassen breezed past the German in the final 400 metres, and bested the time of Ottawa's Kristina Groves by almost a second and a half. Groves took the silver. 

Afterlife Klassen would add a bronze to her collection in the 5,000 metres, giving her five medals in Turin, and six overall. She is the most decorated Canadian Olympian of all time, and only Eric Heiden has matched her tally at one Winter Olympics. She skipped the 2006-07 season and then missed much of the 2007-08 season, as she was taking care of her young sister Lisa, who was in a serious car accident. Klassen then missed the 2008-09 season because of injury. She will compete in Vancouver despite a shaky lead-up to the event. She is also one of the most sponsored Olympic athletes in history, thanks to her success. She promotes companies such as MTS, McDonalds and Sony.