Jennifer Rodriguez facts for kids
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | June 8, 1976 Miami, Florida |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.62 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 59 kg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  United States |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Speed skating | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jennifer Rodriguez (born June 8, 1976) is an American speed skater. She is known for winning two bronze medals at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Jennifer was born in Miami, Florida. She is also known by her nicknames, Miami Ice and J-Rod.
Contents
From Roller Skates to Ice Skates
Jennifer Rodriguez started her sports journey as an artistic roller skater. This is like figure skating, but on roller skates. She was very good, winning many national championships. She also placed second and third at world championships.
Becoming a World Champion
Later, Jennifer switched to inline speed skating. This is a type of racing on roller skates with wheels in a straight line. She became a world champion in this sport in 1993. Her coach for inline speed skating was Bob Manning.
Making the Olympic Dream Come True
In 1996, Jennifer decided to try something new. She switched from roller skates to ice skates. Her goal was to make it to the Olympic Games. This was a big success! She competed in four Winter Olympics:
- 1998 Winter Olympics
- 2002 Winter Olympics
- 2006 Winter Olympics
- 2010 Winter Olympics
At the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, she won two bronze medals. She earned these medals in the 1000-meter and 1500-meter speed skating races.
Inspired by Another Skater
Jennifer was encouraged to try ice skating by her former husband, K. C. Boutiette. He was also a speed skater. He was one of the first to switch from inline speed skating to ice skating. His success helped inspire Jennifer to make the same change.
See also
- List of Cuban Americans
