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Klassen's no two-bit athlete...

...but she is featured on 25-cent Olympic coin

By: Geoff Kirbyson

6/01/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 9

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IF you feel like expressing your gratitude the next time you walk by a guitar-playing busker or have your windshield cleaned on the street corner, you can throw 'em a couple of Cindy Klassens.

The Royal Canadian Mint released 22 million 25-cent coins featuring the image of Canada's most decorated Olympian -- and native Winnipegger -- in a speedskating pose on Tuesday. It's the 15th Olympic-themed coin the mint has produced since the Beijing Games in 2008.

"We were excited with the Winnipeg connection. It's a nice fit and we wish her luck in the upcoming Games," said Christine Aquino, the mint's director of communications.

The country's money-maker decided to immortalize Klassen, a winner of five medals at the 2006 Games in Turin, Italy -- including gold in the 1,500 metres -- after she placed third in a mint-sponsored contest to determine Canada's greatest Winter Olympic moments of all time. (The quarters celebrating the top two, the gold medal-winning men's and women's hockey teams of 2002, were put into circulation last fall.)

All of the two-bit coins were produced at the mint's Winnipeg facility but they weren't all created equally. Three million of the 25-cent pieces feature a bright red Maple Leaf behind Klassen and have been inserted randomly into circulation coin rolls.

"There are quite a few Olympic coins in change. Part of the excitement is looking at your change on a daily basis," she said.

Those not willing to take the chance or want the Klassen quarters in pristine condition can pick them up at Royal Bank branches and select Petro-Canada locations. Employing the same technology used in producing a red poppy on the Remembrance Day quarter, the coloured Klassen quarters are sure to prove popular among coin collectors, sports fans and Olympic aficionados, Aquino said.

Klassen was not available for comment Tuesday.

There are still two Olympic-themed coins to come, Aquino said. The 2010 Lucky Loonie will be released Feb. 12, the first day of competition in Vancouver while the 25-cent piece celebrating sledge hockey will be unveiled March 18 during the Paralympic Games, which are also being held in Vancouver.

geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca

 

A rare event

 

CINDY Klassen is the only individual athlete to be commemorated in the Royal Canadian Mint's Olympic coin series.

She's on the flip side of Queen Elizabeth on the new 25-cent piece released into circulation Tuesday. Two teams, the 2002 men's and women's ice hockey teams, have been similarly immortalized.

Other coin-related facts about the Olympics:

 

Eleven different 25-cent coins have been released over the past three years to represent the following sports: curling, hockey, wheelchair curling, alpine skiing, biathlon, snowboarding, freestyle skiing, figure skating, cross-country skiing, bobsleigh and speedskating. A 12th, sledge hockey, will be released in March.

10 million coins of two Lucky Loonies were also produced -- one for the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and another for the Vancouver Games (to be released Feb. 12).

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 6, 2010 A3

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9 Commentscomment icon

like I said...she won one race. the rest she lost, hence only one gold.
Can you count?

I think Cindy is over rated. There was a car accident awhile ago, where the vehicle went over the guard rail and landed on the ice. Wasn't that a Klassen, hmmmm which one, I don't recall her name because Cindy had come home to be with her and help her. Then it became Cindy's sister this and Cindy's sister that ......Just because she has her medals that should be enough. What is next the Cindy Klassen Olympics.... There are so so many deserving players of this honour, that it should stay Generic or event minded.........

Hey Gary P.

I do remember the last Olympics it was 2006 and she won this
Gold medal and Olympic champion 1500 m at the Winter Olympics in Turin
Bronze medal 3000 m at the Winter Olympics in Turin
Silver medal Team Pursuit at the Winter Olympics in Turin
Silver medal 1000 m at the Winter Olympics in Turin
Bronze medal 5000 m at the Winter Olympics in Turin

Since you can't count I will do it for you 5 medals and one medal before that makes 6 she has the most medals of any Olympian we have ever had. Have a nice day. Why don't you go walk in circles till you fall over.

Go Cindy Go and all the rest of our Olympians.

@Been theredonethat

These are olympic coins, why would we put our soldiers one them.

@Gary P.
Granted she only won first place in one of the races, she placed top 3 in 6 races. No other canadian has ever won as many medals in one olympic. And as for skating in circles, most sports is getting from point A to point B in the least amount of time. It's just that they don't have a straight track 5 or 10 kms long for skating.

I guess you have the same opinion for all the runners during the summer olympics?

I cant believe this negative aura for a manitoba olympic medalist.

Good for you Cindy! Honouring anyone that has worked hard and accomplished a lot is never a bad thing.

@ Beentheredonethat

"There are so many more deserving people, than Klassen, how about our soldiers that are dying over seas. I think that they would be more deserving than Klassen."

While we're at it, why don't we award all the Oscars to the men that have been dying overseas, devote the Pulitzer Peace Prize to them, give them all lifetime passes to Disneyworld, and recruit volunteers to give them each a minimum of five remedial massages in the week prior to their departure.

THAT is how random your comment is. These quarters were for recognizing the Olympics. There are other ways we recognize our soldiers commitment -- we don't have to devote EVERYTHING we do to their honour. Sheesh. Did you get upset that people celebrated Christmas this year instead of abstaining out of respect for our troops? Life has to go on! Athletes will get honoured. Get over it.

Remember, at the last olympics, Cindy only won one race. She lost the all the others she entered. It is a crime that my tax dollar goes to someone who wants to skate around in circles. If you want to skate in circles or ride a pommell horse, go out, sell tickets and get some sponsership. Otherwise, go get a job and really contribute to society.

There are so many more deserving people, than Klassen, how about our soldiers that are dying over seas. I think that they would be more deserving than Klassen.

What a stupid headline. Again.

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