Saturday, January 26, 2002
Auch speeds toward finish line
By AL RUCKABER -- Calgary Sun
Susan Auch will lace up her speed skates for one last Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
That will make it five Olympic Games. And that, insists Auch, will definitely be enough.
"Oh yes, my last Winter Olympics. I don't think I'll ever leave sports competitively but in speed skating, Salt Lake City will definitely be it. Who knows? Maybe I'll compete in cycling again, though," said Auch, who will get her final tune-up for the Olympics by competing in the Can Am international competition at the Olympic Oval, starting today.
Auch, a 35-year-old Winnipeg native who specializes in the 500m and 1,000m sprints, has been synonymous with Canadian speed skating.
She competed in her first Olympics in 1988 in Calgary in short-track speed skating. In 1992 at the Albertville Games, she began her Olympic quest in long track. She collected silver medals in the 500m in both the 1994 (Lillehammer) and 1998 (Nagano) Olympics.
Auch briefly retired after the Nagano Games but returned a year later. In 2000, she flirted with cycling and came up just short of qualifying for the Canadian team for the Sydney Olympics.
Of the upcoming Salt Lake City Olympics, Auch says: "My goal is the same as always --to win a medal. This season has been tough racing for me so far. My best World Cup finish was eighth at Salt Lake City. But my training has been real fast. I've gotten some good results there. Given the perfect day, the perfect race, a medal is possible."
Auch will use this weekend's Can Am to fine tune for the Olympics.
The event will attract about 100 women's and men's skaters from 17 countries competing in the Can Am.
Auch says she plans to race in the 500m tomorrow and the 1,000m Monday.
It will be a very strong field in the women's competition. Five of the six members of Canada's Olympic team are entered -- Auch, Cindy Overland (1,500m), Cindy Klassen (1,500, 3,000), Kristina Groves (1,500) and Clara Hughes (3,000). The only team member not expected to compete is Olympic gold medallist Catriona Le May Doan, who's taking a break before the Games.
Olympic medal contenders Anni Friesinger (Germany, 1,000 and 3,000), Gretha Smit (Netherlands, 3,000), Maki Tabata (Japan, 1,500 and 3,000)and Sayuri Osuga (Japan, 500 and 1,000) will also be competing.
The event starts today at 9 a.m.
2002 Games Short Track Speed Skating Coverage
