Cindy Klassen: From hockey reject to Canada's greatest Olympian

So many athletes find their favorite sport from their childhood. This isn't the case for everyone, and Cindy Klassen is perhaps one of the best examples out there.

Born on August 12, 1979 in Winnipeg, Canada, Klassen received a stick and skates from her father when she was two years old, as reported by CBC. The perfect gift for a little girl who is passionate about ice hockey!

As a teenager, the Canadian trained every day and pursued her dream: to one day participate in the Olympic Games with the national ice hockey team. She set her sights on the Nagano Winter Olympic Games in 1998, as told by CBC.

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While she seemed to be off to a good start as a starter in Canada's youth teams, she is ultimately not selected for the event and delivers a crushing blow to the hockey fanatic.

She told CBC: "I learned that I was not good enough for the 1998 Games in Nagano, and that I would have to wait until I was selected for the 2002 team. It was my first year of college, high school sports were over for me and all I had was hockey. I needed something else to keep me busy. That's when I started speed skating."

At first, she took up speed skating to maintain good physical shape but she quickly realized her ability in this discipline. She won her first races and, in her first year, won a junior world champion title, according to Canada's Maclean's magazine.

Klassen realized her potential and decided to make a huge life change: " I decided to move to Calgary to continue to work at my new sport with all my heart. That turned out to be a very good decision. Not only did I fulfill my Olympic dream, but I am humbled and amazed how life turned out," she told CBC.

Her new status allowed her to participate in her first Olympic Games, in Salt Lake City, in 2002. She was already making a name for herself, at the age of 23, by winning a bronze medal in the 3,000m, according to the Olympics site.

The years passed and the young woman began to make a name for herself in the world of speed skating. In 2005, she became world champion in the 3,000m and 1,500m and was a favorite for the Olympics.

The 2006 Turin Olympic Games came at the best time for the Canadian. In perfect physical condition, she broke the world record for 3,000 meters on March 18, 2006 (which she still holds) and seems unstoppable, as documented by stat site Speed Skating Stats.

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However, in these Games, it's not in the 3,000m race that would be her crowning moment, but the 1,500m. After winning bronze in the 3,000 and silver in the relay, she made her dream come true and won gold in the 1,500.

Despite the accumulated fatigue, she also finished second in the 1,00m and third in the 5,000m, becoming the first skater in history to win five medals in an Olympiad, according to the Olympics website.

Klassen became the most successful Canadian in an edition (and in general, with six medals) of the Olympic Games. In tribute to her exploits, she was chosen as the flag bearer of her delegation at the closing ceremony of the Turin Games.

Klassen became a national icon, so much so that in 2009, the Royal Canadian Mint produced 22 million copies of a 25-cent coin to commemorate Cindy Klassen's victories, as told by CBC.

Klassen returned to the Olympics in 2010 but it wasn't another glory run for the then-31-year-old, who would only manage fifth place in the team pursuit. She retired in 2015 with these words, as reported by RDS: "It has been an incredible honor to represent Canada in speed skating for 15 years. Speed skating has been a blessing to me. This sport has allowed me to live extraordinary experiences and taught me several life lessons."

Cindy Klassen's story shows that failure can become a blessing and open up other paths. Who knows would have become of the Canadian if she had been selected for the hockey Olympics in 1998?

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