Jeremy Wotherspoon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jeremy Wotherspoon

Wotherspoon at a World Cup speed skating event in Heerenveen, Netherlands
Personal information
Born	(1976-10-26) October 26, 1976 (age 48) Humboldt, Saskatchewan
Height	1.90 m
Weight	85 kg
Sport
Country	Canada
Sport	Speed skating
Medal record Men's speed skating Representing  Canada International speed skating competitions Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 0 1 0 World Sprint Championships 4 4 1 World Distance Championships 4 3 3 Total 8 8 4 Olympic Games Silver 1998 Nagano 500 m World Sprint Championships Gold 1999 Calgary Sprint Gold 2000 Seoul Sprint Gold 2002 Hamar Sprint Gold 2003 Calgary Sprint Silver 1998 Berlin Sprint Silver 2004 Nagano Sprint Silver 2005 Salt Lake City Sprint Silver 2008 Heerenveen Sprint Bronze 2001 Inzell Sprint World Single Distance Championships Gold 2003 Berlin 500 m Gold 2004 Seoul 500 m Gold 2008 Nagano 500 m Gold 2001 Salt Lake City 1000 m Silver 2001 Salt Lake City 500 m Silver 1998 Calgary 1000 m Silver 2004 Seoul 1000 m Bronze 1998 Calgary 500 m Bronze 2000 Nagano 500 m Bronze 2005 Inzell 500 m

Jeremy Lee Wotherspoon (born October 26, 1976) is a Canadian speed skater. Many people think he is one of the best speed skating sprinters ever.

In December 2003, Jeremy became the most successful male skater in World Cup history. He won his 49th race then. He finished his career with an amazing 67 World Cup wins. These wins were in the 500-meter and 1,000-meter races.

Wotherspoon broke the 500 m world record three times. He also broke the 1,000 m world record seven times.

Jeremy Wotherspoon's Skating Journey

Starting Out in Speed Skating

Jeremy Wotherspoon was born in Humboldt, Saskatchewan. He grew up in Red Deer, Alberta. He first tried speed skating to get better at ice hockey.

At first, Jeremy did both short track and long track events. He later chose long track as his main sport. He quickly moved up through the junior ranks. At 17, he moved to Calgary to train with the Canadian national team. He started winning medals on the World Cup circuit in 1997.

Dominating the Sprint Races

Wotherspoon was amazing at sprint events. He held world records for both the 500 m and 1,000 m distances. He won the World Sprint Champion title four times between 1999 and 2003. He also won the World Cup Overall Champion title 13 times for the 500 m and 1,000 m races.

At the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Jeremy won a silver medal in the 500 m. He was expected to win gold, so silver was still a great achievement.

Four years later, at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Jeremy had a tough time. He fell at the start of his 500 m race. He finished 13th in the 1,000 m event. At the next Olympic Games in Turin in 2006, he did not win a medal. He placed 9th in the 500 m and 11th in the 1,000 m.

After these Olympics, Jeremy was disappointed. He decided to spend time alone on Mausund. This is a quiet Norwegian island near the Arctic Circle. He wanted to clear his head.

The 2010 Olympics and First Retirement

Jeremy Wotherspoon at a World Cup event in Calgary.

After his time in Norway, Jeremy set a new world record in the 500 m race on November 9, 2007. Later, he hurt his arm during the 2008–09 World Cup season.

On December 27, 2009, Jeremy officially earned his spot for the 500 m and 1,000 m events. These were for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He finished first in the Canadian trials in Calgary. At the Olympics, he placed 9th in the 500 m and 14th in the 1,000 m.

Jeremy Wotherspoon announced he would retire from speed skating on December 6, 2009. He said he would do so after the Vancouver Olympics and the end of the 2010 season.

Coming Back to Skate

In June 2013, Jeremy Wotherspoon announced he was returning to speed skating. He wanted to compete at the 2014 Winter Olympics. However, he did not qualify for his best event, the 500 m sprint. He was not chosen for Canada's Olympic team.

Life After Skating

After his first retirement in 2010, Jeremy coached at an academy in Inzell, Germany. He trained skaters from countries that did not have many coaches or good facilities. After his attempt to return in 2014, he went back to coaching there. Then, he moved to a team in Norway that helps young skaters develop.

In April 2016, Wotherspoon became the sprint coach for Norway's national team. His goal was to help Norway win Olympic medals in sprint events. They had not won one in over 30 years.

Jeremy Wotherspoon's Family Life

Jeremy Wotherspoon was born in Humboldt, Saskatchewan. He grew up in Red Deer, Alberta. He is married to Kim Weger. She is also a Canadian former speed skater and competed in the 2006 Olympics. They have a daughter named Ella.

Records and Achievements

Jeremy's Fastest Times

World Records Held by Jeremy

Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com.

From November 23, 1997, to January 29, 2012, Jeremy Wotherspoon held the world record for the sprint combination. This is a total score from four races (two 500 m and two 1,000 m races). These races are skated over two days, like at the World Sprint Speed Skating Championships. He improved his own record five times.

His fastest combination score was 135.355. He achieved this during World Cup races in November 2007. Even though it was not an official world record, no one has beaten it as of March 2019.

Also, until November 2015, Jeremy Wotherspoon had skated the six fastest laps (400 m) ever. This was nearly six years after he retired. His fastest lap was 24.32 seconds in a 1,000 m race in Salt Lake City in November 2007. His average speed in that lap was about 59.21 kilometers per hour!

More to Explore

• List of Canadian sports personalities

See also

In Spanish: Jeremy Wotherspoon para niños