Christine Nesbitt

Christine Nesbitt (born 17 May 1985) is a Canadian retired long track speed skater who currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia. She won the gold medal in the 1000 metres event at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. She had previously won a silver medal in the team pursuit at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

Personal life Nesbitt was born to a Canadian father and an Australian mother in Melbourne, Australia.

Career

Early career While a short track competitor Nesbitt was nationally ranked and was the top ranked short track junior in Ontario setting numerous provincial records, some of which still stand. In 1999, at age 13, she won a silver medal with the Ontario short track 3000 metres relay team in the Canada Winter Games, and also won a bronze in the same event in the 2003 Canada Winter Games.

Nesbitt took up long track speed skating in August 2003 and moved to Calgary, Alberta, to train at the University of Calgary Olympic Oval. She earned a spot on the national team in January 2005, commenced ISU World Cup competitions the same month, and competed in her first world championships, the 2005 Single Distance Championships at Inzell, Germany, finishing 17th at both the 1000 m and 1500 m distances. Nesbitt won the Canadian long track "Rising Star Award" in the spring of 2005, in part on the strength of her results in the 2005 Single Distance Championships.

Nesbitt first qualified for World Cup competitions in January 2005 and skated in her first world cup meet during the season of 2004–05 under guidance of her coach, Marcel Lacroix. The next season (2005–06), she won her first world cup medal, a bronze in the 1500 m at Salt Lake City on 20 November 2005, and later won two silver medals with the Canadian women's team pursuit. Two days later, on 18 February, she won gold in the 1000 metres.

Build-up to Sochi and retirement The summer after the Olympics Nesbitt was involved in a car accident. Nesbitt usually commutes to and from the track by road bicycle and was t-boned by an SUV, suffering a fractured elbow and injuring a knee. Despite the injuries, she qualified with ease for the 2010–11 World Cup by winning the 1500 m at the national World Cup trials. On 28 January 2012 she set a world record of 1:12.68 for the 1000 m distance at the Calgary Olympic Oval. In March 2012 she won the women's 1500-metre World Cup title and the Grand World Cup for the season's best skater.

Nesbitt was soon after diagnosed with coeliac disease, this resulted in a change of diet and lifestyle which compromised her results and saw her fail to podium thereafter leading up to and including the 2014 Winter Olympics. In the summer of 2015 Nesbitt announced her retirement from skating.

Records

Personal records

World records

Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com

Awards

AwardYearOrder of Ontario2023