Music: {allcanada} Wotherspoon-Gregg retires from speed skating

Thursday, May 15, 2014

{allcanada} Wotherspoon-Gregg retires from speed skating

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Fuse (Deluxe Version) - Keith Urban / Blown Away - Carrie Underwood

CALGARY — Olympian Danielle Wotherspoon-Gregg has retired from competitive long track speed skating.

The 34-year-old from Red Deer, Alta., skated internationally for seven seasons, and participating in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, where she placed 33rd in the 500-metre. She made her World Cup debut in 2003.

“My body knows it is finished with hard training and my mind needs to focus on other things, but I am truly thankful for this sport and for all of the opportunities it has given me and for all the amazing people I have met on my journey,” said Wotherspoon-Gregg, who announced her retirement Thursday.

“I hope to keep involved in the sport in the future and keep cheering on my teammates as well as to help younger skaters find their paths.”

Wotherspoon-Gregg originally planned to retire in 2010 but she decided to stay on four more years after an injury kept her from competing in the Vancouver Olympics in 2010.

“Danielle was not only a great athlete, she was also a role model for her teammates because of her focus, her sense of organization and her hard work at every practice, which allowed her to achieve her Olympic dream in 2014,” said Speed Skating Canada president Marie-Claire Rouleau.

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