| Catriona Le May Doan | |
| Sport: | Speed skating |
| Retired: | 2003 |
| Birth Date: | December 23, 1970 |
| Birth Place: | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Height: | 1.7m (05.6feet) |
| Weight: | 700NaN0 |
| Show-Medals: | yes |
Catriona Ann Le May Doan, (born December 23, 1970) is a retired Canadian speed skater and a double Olympic champion in the 500 m. She served as the chef de mission for Team Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, of Scottish ancestry, Le May Doan won the Olympic 500 m title at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. She repeated the feat at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, giving rise to the title "the fastest woman on ice".[1] At the Nagano Olympics, she also won a bronze in the 1,000 m. She was World Sprint Champion 1998 and 2002 and World Champion 500 m 1998, 1999, and 2001, and won a 500 m bronze in 2000. She also won the 500 m World Cup 4 times (in 1998, 1999, 2001, and 2003) and the 1,000 m World Cup once (in 1998). She was Canada's flag bearer at the Winter Olympics twice, for the 1998 Nagano Olympics closing ceremony and the opening ceremony of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.
On November 22, 1997, Le May Doan became the first woman to break the 38-second barrier for the 500 m, skating 37.90 s in Calgary, Alberta. Before the year was over, she had tied the record once and broken it twice, ending on 37.55 s. Within the next four years, she broke this record four more times, up to 37.22 s in Calgary, in December 2001. Between 7 January 2001 and 24 February 2001, Le May Doan was the only woman under the 38-second barrier, achieving it 14 times, including the eight times that she lowered the overall record.
In the 1994 Winter Olympics, Le May Doan fell on the 500 m and placed 17th on the 1,500 m. Prior to Nagano, she was training with her teammate and rival Susan Auch, both being coached by Susan's brother, Derrick Auch. In 1998, Susan Auch placed second behind Le May Doan on the 500 m. Leading up to the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, Le May Doan was coached by Sean Ireland.[2]
Le May Doan repeated her gold medal in the 500m at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. She became the first Canadian to defend their gold medal at the Olympics.[3] [4]
Le May Doan retired from competitive skating in 2003. She was a commentator for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation during the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and was a member of the official Canadian contingent when Vancouver was chosen as the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics. She is a popular motivational speaker, and has been involved with Campus Crusade for Christ's Power to Change campaign.
In 2005, Le May Doan was made an Officer of the Order of Canada, and inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.[5] [6]
Le May Doan provided colour commentary for the CBC during the 2006 Winter Olympics for speed skating. She was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 2008[7] and was also a colour commentator for CTV at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. She was one of four torchbearers selected to light the interior cauldron in BC Place at the opening ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympics. She was subsequently left out of the lighting when one of the arms to light the cauldron failed to rise due to mechanical problems.[8] This was remediated as part of the opening segment of the closing ceremonies when she lit the fourth arm of the cauldron.
In November 2020, it was announced that Le May Doan would be the chef de mission for Team Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.[9]
In June 2023, Le May Doan was appointed Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Calgary.
Le May Doan was married to Bart Doan. They separated in 2017. She has two children, Greta and Easton.
In 2002, Le May Doan published an autobiography, Going for Gold.
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| Distance | Result | Location | Date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 m | 37.22 | align=right | Calgary | 9 December 2001 | |
| 1,000 m | 1:14.50 | align=right | Salt Lake City | 10 March 2001 | |
| 1,500 m | 1:57.50 | align=right | Calgary | 16 March 2001 | |
| 3,000 m | 4:26.98 | align=right | Calgary | 21 March 2003 | |
| 5,000 m | 8:14.52 | align=right | Calgary | 19 December 1993 |