Speed skater Cindy Klassen, who won five medals at the Torino Olympic Winter Games last February, is the landslide winner of the 2006 Bobbie Rosenfeld Award for Canadian female athlete of the year.

Klassen, from Winnipeg, is the first repeat winner since fellow speed skater Catriona Le May Doan in 2001 and 2002.

Winnipeg's Cindy Klassen holds the 5 Olympic medals she won in Turin.
(Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)

"There were so many good moments," Klassen said. "I just had so much fun with my team at the Games."

Klassen took 131 of 144 first-place ballots in voting by sports editors and broadcasters surveyed by the Canadian Press and Broadcast News.

She finished with 412 points in the Canadian Press award voting, well ahead of teammate Clara Hughes of Winnipeg, who was second with 104 points and three first-place votes.

"Simply put, Cindy Klassen delivered the biggest performance on the biggest stage in sports," stated Steve McAllister, sports editor of The Globe and Mail.

Hayley Wickenheiser of Shaunavon, Sask., who helped the Canadian women's hockey team win Olympic gold, had five first-place votes and finished third with 83 points.

Soccer player Christine Sinclair, from Burnaby, B.C., freestyle skier Jennifer Heil of Spruce Grove, Alta., wheelchair racer Chantal Petitclerc of Montreal and cross-country skier Chandra Crawford of Canmore, Alta., were also considered.

Record haul in Turin

Klassen's five medals at the Torino Games made her Canada's most decorated Olympian ever as she surpassed the previous record of four medals shared by Hughes, runner Philip Edwards and short-track speed skater Marc Gagnon.

Klassen has six career Olympic medals, having won the bronze in the 3,000 at Salt Lake City in 2002.

Klassen also set world records in the 1,000 and 3,000 metres, won the overall title at the world all-round championships, and was crowned World Cup champion in the 3,000.

"The whole season was so much fun," she said. "We just tried to enjoy every moment of it."

But Klassen wasn't worried about the pressure or high expectations heading into the Games.

"I'm not trying to focus on what people are saying about medals and stuff like that," Klassen said at the time. "I'm just going to go out there and just try to do my job."

It turned out to be the right approach.

Klassen opened with a bronze medal in the 3,000 and followed it with a silver in the team pursuit, a silver in the 1,000, a gold medal in the 1,500 and a bronze in the 5,000.

"I think I definitely left it out there in every race," she said. "But there were a couple races that I thought were perfect races for me."

Praiseworthy performance 

Klassen's accomplishments drew praise from Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee.

"She was definitely the woman of the Games," Rogge said prior to the closing ceremonies, in which Klassen was Canada's flag-bearer.

"It's something I will remember forever," Klassen said of the honour.

She was given a hero's welcome when she returned home, feted at events around the country and invested in the Order of Manitoba. She also signed a $1-million, five-year endorsement deal with MTS Allstream Inc., a Manitoba communications company.

Klassen took some much-needed time off this fall and recharged her batteries in Canmore, where she spent time training with Canada's cross-country ski team.

"It was just a really nice break. I loved being out there," Klassen said. "I loved the pace of life and how it's a little slower than Calgary. I think it was perfect for me, just what I needed."

Klassen returned to Calgary earlier this month to prepare for her upcoming return to the World Cup circuit.

She also is looking ahead to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

"It's such a tremendous opportunity, to be able to race in your home country and have the home crowd," Klassen said. "You have such a huge advantage," Klassen said.

"I'll be 30 then. I hope I get stronger and that I'll be peaking at that age.

"As I've seen with a lot of speed skaters, your career goes up and down. I'll just keep trying and hope for the best."

Victoria's Steve Nash, who plays for the Phoenix Suns and is the reigning two-time most valuable player in the NBA, was named Canadian Press male athlete of the year for the second straight year on Tuesday.

Canada's top team will be revealed on Thursday.

With files from the Canadian Press