Kristina Groves facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kristina Groves

Personal information
Born	(1976-12-04) December 4, 1976 (age 48) Ottawa, Ontario
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	66 kg (146 lb; 10.4 st)
Sport
Country	Canada
Sport	Speed skating
Medal record Women's speed skating Representing  Canada Olympic Games Silver 2006 Turin 1500 m Silver 2006 Turin Team pursuit Silver 2010 Vancouver 1500 m Bronze 2010 Vancouver 3000 m World Allround Championships Silver 2009 Hamar Allround Silver 2010 Heerenveen Allround Bronze 2006 Calgary Allround Bronze 2008 Berlin Allround World Single Distance Championships Gold 2007 Salt Lake City Team pursuit Gold 2008 Nagano 3000 m Gold 2009 Vancouver Team pursuit Silver 2005 Inzell Team pursuit Silver 2008 Nagano 1000 m Silver 2008 Nagano Team pursuit Bronze 2005 Inzell 3000 m Bronze 2007 Salt Lake City 1500 m Bronze 2007 Salt Lake City 5000 m Bronze 2008 Nagano 1500 m Bronze 2008 Nagano 5000 m Bronze 2009 Vancouver 3000 m Bronze 2009 Vancouver 5000 m

Kristina Nicole Groves is a retired Canadian speed skater born on December 4, 1976. She is famous for winning many medals in speed skating. Kristina earned four Olympic medals during her career. She won two silver medals at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. These were for the 1,500-meter race and the team pursuit event.

At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, she won two more medals. She took home a silver medal in the 1,500-meter race. She also earned a bronze medal in the 3,000-meter event. Kristina Groves is one of Canada's most successful speed skaters.

Kristina Groves' Skating Career

Kristina Groves competing in 2008.

Early Olympic Appearances

Kristina Groves first competed in the Olympics at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, USA. She raced in three events there. She finished 20th in the 1,500 meters. She placed 8th in the 3,000 meters and 10th in the 5,000 meters.

Four years later, she competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Kristina was very busy, participating in five different events. She raced in the 1,000 m, 1,500 m, 3,000 m, 5,000 m, and team pursuit. She won a silver medal in the 1,500 m race. She also helped the Canadian team win a silver medal in the team pursuit.

World Championship Success

In 2008, Kristina became the Single Distances World Champion in the 3,000-meter race. She had an amazing performance at these championships. She won a medal in every event she entered. This included two silver medals and two bronze medals, along with her gold.

During the 2008–2009 World Cup season, Kristina Groves continued her success. She won 12 medals in total, with four of them being gold. In 2009, at the World Single Distances Championships in Vancouver, British Columbia, she made history. She became Canada's most decorated speed skater at this event. She surpassed Jeremy Wotherspoon with 13 medals. She also won the World Cup for the 1,500-meter event for the second year in a row.

Setting a World Record

On December 6, 2009, Kristina Groves helped set a new world record. This happened at the Calgary Essent ISU World Cup. She was part of the team pursuit event with Christine Nesbitt and Brittany Schussler. They finished with an incredible time of two minutes and 55.79 seconds. This record showed how strong the Canadian team was.

Vancouver 2010 Olympics

Kristina Groves qualified for five events at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. She competed in the 1,000 m, 1,500 m, 3,000 m, 5,000 m, and team pursuit. She was the busiest athlete on the Canadian speed skating team. In her first event, the 3,000 meters, she won a bronze medal.

A few days later, on February 18, she finished fourth in the 1,000 meters. She was very close to another medal, missing bronze by just 0.06 seconds. Her teammate, Christine Nesbitt, won the gold medal in that race. On February 21, Kristina won a silver medal in the 1,500 meters. This made her the 11th Canadian athlete to win at least four medals at the Olympics.

About Kristina's Life

Kristina Groves was born in Ottawa, Canada. She went to Fielding Drive Public School and Brookfield High School. She trained with the Ottawa Pacers Speed Skating Club. She studied kinesiology at the University of Calgary and finished her degree in 2004. In 2014, Kristina Groves was honored by being inducted into the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame.

Images for kids

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  Kristina Groves competing in 2008.

See also

In Spanish: Kristina Groves para niños