Chris Witty: Gold Olympic Speed Skater

“Whatever, man.”

Chris Witty’s favorite saying, reflecting her legendarily laid-back attitude, served her well in winning the gold medal in the 1,000 meter speed-skating event at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics last month.

Yes, in order to win her third Olympic medal—she has also won a silver and a bronze in the 1998 Games in Nagano, Japan—Witty had to overcome a lot. Mainly mononucleosis, a disease she did not even find out she had until a month before her big skate. “All I knew was I was tired all the time,” she said. “And so were my times in practice. I was actually relieved to find out something was really wrong with me. I was going to cry, but then I said to myself ‘that’s stupid. You just have to push your way through this like you’ve done with everything else.’”

Witty has already proven she can push herself to miracles. Besides being the most decorated woman speed-skater in the U.S., the 31 year old from West Allis, Wisconsin has also competed in the Sydney Summer Olympics in cycling – finishing fifth in the 500-meter time trial – an almost unbelievable exacta.

“Actually, it’s no big deal,” Witty said. “The workouts for both sports are almost the same.”

In spite of her easy going nature, Witty can stand as the poster child of the possibility of getting to the top in a “different way.” She sports a tattoo of the Notre Dame leprechaun on her left hip. She loves to wolf down pizza and ice cream, giving the U.S. team leaders constant conniptions. She also has a pierced navel, plays grunge rock on her electric base guitar, and admits to an unquenchable desire to own a Harley-Davidson bike. “Maybe when I retire,” said Witty. “You can break a leg on one of those, you know.”

In spite of it all, Witty claims she only gained her rebellious rep due to the inevitable comparisons to America’s previous speed-skating great, Bonnie Blair. “She was the girl next door,” said Witty. “I’m from the next garage.”

Straight-laced or pierced to distraction, “this is a great time for girls and women in sports,” said Witty. “Girls don’t have to be cheerleaders any longer in order to participate. They can reach the greatest heights with commitment and work.” #

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