|
SLAM! Sports 2000 Canadian Sport Awards 2000 AWARDS HISTORY INTERACTIVE CONTESTS ALSO ON SLAM!  |
Jeremy Wotherspoon's rise in the long track speed skating world has been nothing short
of breathtaking. But the Red Deer, Alta., resident has been among the best in the world
since his junior days and in fact still holds world junior sprint records.The 22-year-old fly fishing enthusiast topped a 2-3-4-5 finish for Canada in the men's 500 metres at the Olympic Games in Nagano for the silver medal. Wotherspoon was among the medal favorites. He graced the Olympic issue cover of MacLean's magazine, and overcame the pressure to deliver a superlative performance. The 500 at the Olympics was a combined total of two races and Wotherspoon appeared in trouble after the first day. "After I was seventh (after Day 1) I told myself I had nothing to lose so I just went for it" said Wotherspoon who also claimed the overall World Cup titles in the 500 and 1,000 metres, and second overall at the world sprint championships. "I knew from previous races that I had the ability to win by a large margin. I've done it in the past so I had to believe in myself that I could do it again." There could be more Wotherspoon's on the way on the national speed skating team. His sisters Megan and Danielle are both nationally ranked junior skaters. |