Christine Nesbitt

Christine Nesbitt, born on 17 May 1985, is a retired Canadian long track speed skater who lives in Vancouver. Born in Melbourne to a Canadian father and an Australian mother, she grew up in London, Ontario, played competitive hockey and short track skating, and took up long track skating in August 2003 at the University of Calgary Olympic Oval. At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin she won a silver medal in the team pursuit with Cindy Klassen and Kristina Groves, and at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver she won the gold medal in the 1000 metres. She was a three-time world champion at 1000 metres (2009, 2011 and 2012), a three-time world champion in the team pursuit (2007, 2009 and 2011) and the 2012 world champion at 1500 metres. On 28 January 2012 she set a world record of 1:12.68 for the 1000 metres in Calgary, a time that remains the Canadian record. A diagnosis of coeliac disease changed her diet and compromised later results, and she announced her retirement in June 2015.