Birthdate: June 23, 1975
Birthplace: Waukesha, Wisconsin
Current Residence: Park City, Utah
Height: 5' 6"
Weight: 145
Events: Cycling (Track)
Skates & Cycles
Chris Witty is considered America's current best female speedskater. And she readily admits that cycling is only her second love. In fact, she is the latest in a long line of speed skaters to cross over to cycling.
For
most of her speedskating career, Witty has been
compared to America’s greatest female
speedskater, five-time gold medalist Bonnie Blair. Witty says that comparison is not warranted.
If she wins a medal in Sydney,
Witty will become the first U.S. woman to medal at both a Winter and a Summer Games. Going into the Sydney Games, Witty says she's trying not to think about her potential place in Olympic history. She's just trying to concentrate on the race.
Cycling Highlights
- 2000 U.S. Olympic Time Trials (Track cycling): Second in 500-meter.
- 1998 World Track Cycling Championships: Finished Fourth.
- 1997-99 U.S. National Cycling Team
- 1996, 1998 National Track Cycling Champion: (500 meter time trial)
- 1996 Olympics, Atlanta: Alternate for U.S. team.
Speedskating Highlights:
- 1998 Olympics, Nagano: Bronze medal in 1500-meter, silver medal in
1000-meter.
- America's only double medalist in 1998 Games.
- Six-time national sprint speed skating champion (1995-2000).
- 1998 U.S. Speedskating Athlete
of the Year.
- 1998 world record-holder in 1,000m (1:14.96, March 28, 1998,
Calgary, Alb., Canada), and American record-holder in 1,000m and
1,500m (1:57.68, March 29, 1998, Calgary, Alb., Canada)
History
World Speed Skating Championships, 1996;
World Track Cycling Championships 1998;
Junior World Track Cycling Championships 1991, 1992 (bronze, match
sprint) 1993;
National Track Cycling champion 1996, 1998 (500m time trial);
Junior National Track Cycling champion 1992 (match sprint).
Since the 1998 World Championships, Witty did not cycle
competitively again until spring 2000. She decided not to cycle at all in
1999, because skating was her first priority and she wanted to prepare for the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City.
Witty started cycling in 2000 for skating
training purposes only, but by April she was racing
again.
Witty’s longest cycling season was a 10-week stretch in
1992 when she and her brother
"just showed up at the Olympic Trials." Four
years later, after a two-year layoff from cycling and
only a few weeks of training, Chris was an alternate
for the 1996 U.S. Olympic team in Atlanta.
Personal
Chris is one of four children. Her brother,
Mike, is also a speed skater and cyclist. She
began speedskating at the age of nine, racing on a pair of figure skates. Chris plays bass and acoustic guitar.
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