Winnipeg native will work closely with the sprint and women’s allround training groups
Shannon Rempel, of Winnipeg, MB, skates in the ladies 500m B final at the ISU long track speed skating world cup at the Olympic Oval in Calgary, Alberta on December 3, 2017CALGARY, ALBERTA – Former Canadian national team member and 2006 Olympic silver medalist Shannon Rempel is joining the long track program as an Assistant Coach. The Winnipeg native will be a tremendous asset to National and NextGen team skaters as they prepare for Beijing 2022 and beyond.
Based out of the Olympic Oval in Calgary, Rempel will assist fellow national team coaches Mark Wild and Remmelt Eldering to support their respective training groups – sprint and women’s allround – and assist with the monitoring and preparation of skaters for national and international competitions. While she has coached with the Calgary Grizzlies Speed Skating Club since 2003, most recently in their long track competitive stream, this new position will mark the 35-year old’s entry into the world of high performance coaching.
A two-time Olympian, Rempel helped Canada win silver in the Team Pursuit at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, alongside teammates Kristina Groves, Clara Hughes, Cindy Klassen and Christine Nesbitt. The sprint and middle distance specialist also participated in the 500m, 1000m and 1500m in 2006, as well as the 500m and 1000m at Vancouver 2010.
Rempel won a total of eleven World Cup medals from 2006 to 2009, including two gold, and represented Canada at nine ISU World Sprint Championships and nine ISU World Single Distance Championships, winning gold as a member of the Team Pursuit squad in 2007.
A dominate junior skater, she captured 10 medals at the ISU World Junior Championship medals from 2001 to 2004 and is the only Canadian women to reach the overall podium at the event twice, winning gold in 2003 and bronze in 2004. She also broke three world junior records during her career and still holds the Canadian junior record in the 500m (38.53 seconds), which has stood since 2003.
Rempel officially retired from competitive skating in 2018 after competing internationally for Canada for nearly two decades. She holds a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Calgary and was most recently employed as a Disability Case Manage with Sun Life Financial.
“I am so excited for the opportunity to work with an incredibly talented group of athletes, alongside exceptional coaches and support team within Speed Skating Canada. I have always dreamed of coaching at an elite level, so I’m really looking forward to this new role and being able to share my knowledge and experience with this team.” – Shannon Rempel
Read our Q&A with Shannon Rempel to learn more about her transition from national team skater to high performance coach!
MEDIA CONTACT
Alain Brouillette
Speed Skating Canada
communications@speedskating.ca
613-601-2630