Christine Diane Witty (born June 23, 1975) is an American
speed skater
Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating. ...
and
racing cyclist
Cycle sport is Competition, competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing ...
and participated in the
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
in both sports.
She won medals at both 1000 and 1500 meters in the
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in the ...
. In 2002, she won the Olympic gold medal at the 1000 meters in
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
, setting a world record in the process.
In 1996 she became
World Champion Sprint, in 1997 and 1998 she became second and in 2000 she became third.
In 1998 she won the gold medal at the
World Single Distance Championships
The World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating competitions organised by the International Skating Union.
History
Since the late 19th century, speed skating championships were always decided by racing multiple ...
at the 1000 m, in 1996 the silver and in 2000 the bronze medal at the same distance.
In 2000, she placed fifth overall in the 500 m cycling time trials at the
2000 Summer Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...
in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, becoming only the ninth American ever to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
In 2006, she was elected by her teammates to carry the United States flag at the
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second t ...
in
Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...
.
Personal life
Witty has reported that she had experienced
childhood abuse
Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...
from a trusted neighbor since she was 4 till the age of 11 years, and she kept the secret for years. Witty currently lives with her partner, former Dutch long track speed skater Frouke Oonk.
Records
Source: SpeedskatingResults.com
Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com[
]
Witty holds the 1000m Olympic Record with a time of 1:13.83 which was set at the
2002 Olympic Winter games in the
Utah Olympic Oval
The Utah Olympic Oval is an indoor speed skating oval located southwest of Salt Lake City, in Kearns, Utah. The Oval was built for the 2002 Winter Olympics and it hosted the long track speed skating events for the 2002 games. Inside the facili ...
, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Achievements
*1996 World Sprint Championships: gold
*1996 World Single Distance Championships, 1000 m: silver
*1997 World Sprint Championships: bronze
*1998 World Sprint Championships: bronze
*1998 Olympic Winter Games, 1000 m: silver
*1998 Olympic Winter Games, 1500 m: bronze
*1998 World Single Distance Championships, 1000 m: gold
*2000 World Sprint Championships: bronze
*2000 World Single Distance Championships, 1000 m: bronze
*2002 Olympic Winter Games, 1000 m: gold
She competed in track cycling in the
2000 Summer Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...
, where she placed 5th in the 500m time trial.
References
External links
Chris Witty at SpeedSkatingStats.com*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Witty, Chris
1975 births
Living people
American female cyclists
Cyclists at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Olympic cyclists of the United States
People from West Allis, Wisconsin
Speed skaters at the 1994 Winter Olympics
Speed skaters at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Speed skaters at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Speed skaters at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Cyclists at the 2003 Pan American Games
World record setters in speed skating
American female speed skaters
Lesbian sportswomen
Medalists at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Medalists at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Sportspeople from Wisconsin
American LGBT sportspeople
LGBT people from Wisconsin
American expatriates in the Netherlands
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in speed skating
Olympic silver medalists for the United States in speed skating
Pan American Games medalists in cycling
Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States
Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States
LGBT cyclists
LGBT speed skaters
Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games
21st-century LGBT people
21st-century American women
Cyclists from Wisconsin