Olympic Medalist Kristina Groves Announces Sudden Retirement

Olympic Medalist Kristina Groves Announces Sudden Retirement

Kristina Groves, Olympic speed skating star, announced Wednesday her early retirement from the Winter Olympic Games sport after a 23 fruitful years in the sport of speed skating. Groves is former speed skating world champion and at the same time a four-time Winter Olympic Games medal winner.

Groves, 34 years old, denied the initial speculations about the cause of his early retirement. Many believe that she filed her retirement after she suffered symptoms of concussion last November when she had a bad fall in a World Cup even held in Germany. Since June, I already recovered and started exercising and had been active again in the sport, Gloves clarified. I'm happy and thankful that the accident happened at the near end of my career and it did not prevent me from achieving my dreams before my planned retirement.

In the 2006 Turin Games, Groves finished runner-up in the 1500 meters event and in the team pursuit event. She also won another silver medal in the same 1,500 meters event 4 years after at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games. She took her 2nd medal, bronze, at the 3,000 meters event in Vancouver Winter Olympic Games.  Groves' decision was a combination of fulfillment because of a successful sports career and sadness that she will leave the sport she loves the most.

Posted by Andre Monohan on Thursday September 22 2011, 6:17 AM EST. Ref: Reuters. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0