Cindy Klassen is no stranger to the Olympics or winning. At the 2006 Games, she took home five medals. But since then, she has had many set backs that have kept her off the ice and wondering if she would even qualify for the Vancouver Olympics. In January of 2008, her sister was in a horrible accident that left her having to learn to walk all over again. Cindy stayed by her side forgoing the rest of her season. When her sister to a point Cindy thought she could go back to training, she ended up meeting with surgeons of her own. Years of damage left both of her knees needing surgical attention.
The come back has been slow and hard on Cindy, but her heart and faith as kept her plugging along. The dedication is paying off. At the Canadian Single Distance speed skating championships, held Dec. 27-Jan. 2, she qualified to represent Canada next month.
“I definitely wanted to race for Canada, in Canada. I just thought that would be a huge honor, and with my surgery I didn’t expect that to happen,” she said. “It’s a different spot to be in, but it’s also kind of exciting – the challenge of trying to see if I can make it back.”