Induction year: 2017
Induction category: Athlete

Until Order of Sport Recipient and Hall of Famer Cindy Klassen finished school, she played every sport she could possibly fit into her schedule. By the age of 23, Cindy won her first Olympic medal, a Bronze in the 3000m, at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, but she wanted more. Using strategies like visualization and goal-setting, alongside intense training, Klassen managed to have one of the best seasons by a Canadian athlete on the World Cup speed skating circuit with 13 Gold, three Silver, and five Bronze medals. At the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Cindy became the first ever Canadian Olympian to win five medals in one Olympic Games; Gold in the 1500m, Silver in the 1000m, Silver in the Team Pursuit, and Bronze in the 5000m and 3000m, making her the most decorated Canadian Winter Olympian in history, with a total of six medals. Cindy also overcame a difficult double-knee surgery and won gold at the Ladies World Speed Skating Team Pursuit in 2011. She retired from professional speed skating and now goes beyond her wins, working tirelessly to provide girls and women with much-needed opportunities to play sports, becoming a role model on and off the ice, in Canada, and around the world.