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 (born December 4, 1976) is a retired Canadian speed skater. She is one of Canada's most successful speed skaters. She won 13 medals at the World Single Distances Championships, which is more than any other Canadian skater.

Kristina won four Olympic medals during her career. At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, she earned two silver medals. These were in the 1500 meters race and the team pursuit event. Later, at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, she won a silver medal in the 1500 m and a bronze medal in the 3000 m.

Kristina's Skating Career

Kristina Groves competing in 2008.

Kristina Groves first competed in the Olympic Games at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, United States. She finished 20th in the 1500 m race. She also placed 8th in the 3000 m and 10th in the 5000 m.

Four years later, Kristina went to the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. She took part in five different events. She finished 5th in the 1000 m and 8th in the 3000 m. She also placed 6th in the 5000 m. Most notably, she won a silver medal in the 1500 m. She also won another silver medal with the Canadian team in the team pursuit event.

In 2008, Kristina became the Single Distances World Champion in the 3000-meter race. She had an amazing performance at these championships. She won a medal in every event she skated! This included one gold, two silver, and two bronze medals.

During the 2008–2009 World Cup season, Kristina Groves earned 12 medals. Four of these were gold medals. In 2009, at the World Single Distances Championships in Richmond, British Columbia, her career reached a new high. She became the most decorated Canadian speed skater at this event. She surpassed Jeremy Wotherspoon by winning her 13th medal. She also won the World Cup for the 1500 m event for the second year in a row.

On December 6, 2009, Kristina set a new world record in the team pursuit. This happened at the Calgary Essent ISU World Cup. She raced with her teammates Christine Nesbitt and Brittany Schussler. Their record-breaking time was two minutes and 55.79 seconds.

Kristina qualified for five events at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. She competed in the 1000 m, 1500 m, 3000 m, 5000 m, and team pursuit. She was the only Canadian speed skater to compete in so many events. In her first event, the 3000 meters, she won a bronze medal. A few days later, she finished fourth in the 1000 meters. On February 21, she won a silver medal in the 1500 meters. With this medal, she became the 11th Canadian athlete to win at least four medals at the Olympics.

About Kristina's Life

Kristina Groves was born in Ottawa, Ontario. She went to Fielding Drive Public School and Brookfield High School. She started her speed skating training with the Ottawa Pacers Speed Skating Club.

She studied kinesiology at the University of Calgary. Kinesiology is the study of how the body moves. She graduated from the university in 2004. In 2014, Kristina Groves was honored by being inducted into the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame.

Kristina's Personal Records

Here are Kristina Groves' best times in different speed skating distances:

World Records Set by Kristina

Kristina Groves was part of teams that set three world records in the team pursuit event:

See also

In Spanish: Kristina Groves para niños