Denny Morrison facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Denny Morrison

Denny Morrison at the 2013 World Single Distance Championships in Sochi.
Personal information
Born	(1985-09-08) September 8, 1985 (age 39) Chetwynd, British Columbia
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	80 kilograms (176 lb; 12 st 8 lb)
Sport
Country	Canada
Sport	Speed skating
Medal record Men's speed skating Representing  Canada Olympic Games Gold 2010 Vancouver Team pursuit Silver 2006 Turin Team pursuit Silver 2014 Sochi 1000 m Bronze 2014 Sochi 1500 m World Single Distance Championships Gold 2008 Nagano 1500 m Gold 2012 Heerenveen 1500 m Silver 2007 Salt Lake City 1000 m Silver 2007 Salt Lake City Team pursuit Silver 2009 Vancouver 1000 m Silver 2011 Inzell Team pursuit Silver 2015 Heerenveen 1500 m Silver 2015 Heerenveen Team pursuit Bronze 2007 Salt Lake City 1500 m Bronze 2008 Nagano 1000 m Bronze 2009 Vancouver 1500 m

Denny Morrison (born September 8, 1985) is a famous Canadian speedskater. He comes from Fort St. John, British Columbia. Denny is an Olympic champion! He won a gold medal as part of Canada's men's team pursuit. He also won a silver medal in the same event at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Denny won his first individual Olympic medal in Sochi. This was a silver medal in the men's 1000 m race. A fellow skater, Gilmore Junio, gave up his spot for Denny to compete. Denny had fallen during the national tryouts and didn't qualify at first. He then won another individual medal at those games, a bronze in the 1500 m. With four Olympic medals in total, Denny Morrison shares the record for the most medals won by a Canadian male long track speed skater. He shares this record with Gaétan Boucher.

Denny mainly competes in middle-distance races like the 1000 m and 1500 m. He once held the world record for the 1500 m. His time was 1:42.01, set on March 14, 2008. This time is still the Canadian record for that distance. Denny has also won twelve medals at the World Championships. These include two gold, six silver, and four bronze medals.

Denny Morrison's Skating Journey

Early Career and Olympic Debut

At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, Denny Morrison won a silver medal. He was part of the Canadian men's speed skating team pursuit. In individual races, he won a silver in the 1500 m and a bronze in the 1000 m at a World Cup event. In 2007, Denny won gold in the 1000 m race at the World Cup finals in Calgary. He set a new Canadian record, beating his hero, Jeremy Wotherspoon. That same weekend, he also won a bronze medal in the 1500 m.

Denny also did very well at the 2007 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships. He won three medals there. He got a bronze in the 1500 m and a silver in the 1000 m. Both times, he finished behind Shani Davis. In the team pursuit event, Denny and his teammates Arne Dankers and Justin Warsylewicz set a new world record. However, a Dutch team later beat their time, so Canada took home the silver medal.

Denny Morrison (far right) competes in the team pursuit with Lucas Makowski and Jay Morrison at the 2009 World Single Distance Championships.

In 2008, Denny did even better at the World Single Distance Championships in Nagano, Japan. He won a bronze medal in the 1000 m. Then, he won the gold medal in the 1500 m race! A week later, he set a new world record for the 1500 m. His time was 1:42.01, beating the old record.

Vancouver 2010 and Comeback

Denny competed at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. He was expected to win many medals. Even though he was competing at home, he didn't win an individual medal. His best finish was ninth in the 1500 m. But he did win a gold medal in the team pursuit. He won this with his teammates Lucas Makowsky and Mathieu Giroux.

After the Vancouver Olympics, Denny thought about stopping speed skating. But he decided to keep going! He rejoined the World Cup races. He finished the 2011 season by winning a silver medal with his team pursuit team. In 2012, he was very motivated. He won his second World Championship title, again in the 1500 m. His 2013 season started great with a win in the first World Cup in Heerenveen, Netherlands. He was leading the 1000 m points total. However, he then got injured while training, breaking his leg.

Sochi 2014 Olympic Success

Denny had to recover from his injury. He qualified for the men's 1500 m race at the Sochi Olympics. But in the 1000 m trials, he fell. This meant he couldn't qualify for one of his best events. Denny had two team pursuit Olympic medals, but he really wanted an individual medal.

Just days before the event, his teammate Gilmore Junio did something amazing. He gave up his spot in the 1000 m race so Denny could compete! At the 2014 Winter Olympics, Denny Morrison won a silver medal in the 1000 m. He was only 4/100ths of a second behind the winner. After the race, Denny thanked Gilmore Junio first. He said, "Without him, none of this would have been possible."

After his silver medal, Denny competed in his planned 1500 m event. He took the lead for a while. In the end, he won the bronze medal! This gave Denny his fourth Olympic medal. He now shares the record for most medals by a Canadian male long track speed skater with Gaétan Boucher.

After Sochi: Challenges and Comebacks

The 2015 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships brought more success for Denny. He won two silver medals. One was in the 1500 m individual race. The other was in the team pursuit with Ted-Jan Bloemen and Jordan Belchos. Denny was very proud of his team. He said they worked hard to improve and that this was "just the beginning" for them on the way to the 2018 Olympics.

Denny faced some big challenges after this. In May 2015, he had a serious accident. He showed amazing strength and worked hard to recover. Then, in April 2016, he announced he had a health issue. Despite these setbacks, Denny kept pushing forward.

PyeongChang 2018 Olympics

Denny Morrison qualified to compete for Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. This was his fourth time at the Olympics!

Sponsors and Support

Denny Morrison has had many sponsors throughout his career. Sponsors are companies that help athletes with money or equipment. DNOW and Pomeroy Hotel Group were two of his main sponsors for many years. Even after his serious accident in 2015, some sponsors like InjaNation and Mawer continued to support him. They helped him through his long recovery and his fourth Olympics in 2018. He also received support from CAN Fund and the Investors Group Athlete Grant.

Personal Life

Denny Morrison is married to another speed skater, Josie Spence. He has shown incredible strength and determination in his life. He overcame a serious accident and a health issue, continuing to compete at the highest level.

Skating Records

Denny's Best Times

World Records Held by Denny

Denny Morrison has been part of setting these world records:

Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com

See also

In Spanish: Denny Morrison para niños