Mint honours speedskater Cindy Klassen with coin
Last Updated: Tuesday, January 5, 2010 | 4:31 PM ET
CBC News
The Royal Canadian Mint has issued a special 25 cent coin honouring Olympic speedskater Cindy Klassen. (Royal Canadian Mint)Olympic speedskater Cindy Klassen can now add steel, copper and nickel to her medal collection.
Those are the ingredients that compose the new 25-cent coin released by the Royal Canadian Mint in celebration of the Winnipeg athlete's unprecedented five medals at the Turin Olympic Games in 2006.
The mint announced on Tuesday that it is immediately putting 22 million quarters into circulation featuring Klassen in a speedskating pose on the backdrop of a Maple Leaf.
Three million of the quarters will have the Maple Leaf coloured a brilliant red.
Klassen won the gold medal in the 1,500-metre race, silver medals in the 1,000-metre race and in the team pursuit, and bronze medals in the 5,000 metre and 3,000-metre races during the 2006 Games.
The accomplishment prompted IOC president Jacques Rogge to name her the "woman of the Games."
Klassen might not be done yet with her Olympic achievements. She has secured a spot to compete in the 3,000-metre race at the upcoming Winter Games in Vancouver.
The coins are available exclusively at RBC Royal Bank branches and participating Petro-Canada locations.
