Catriona Le May Doan, born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, won the Olympic 500 m title in Nagano 1998, and she repeated this successfully in Salt Lake City 2002. In the period 1998-2002 Catriona was called "the fastest woman on ice". She was World Sprint Champion 1998 and 2002 and World Champion 500 m 1998, 1999 and 2001, and she won a 500 m bronze in 2000. In Nagano she also won a bronze on the 1000 m. November 22nd 1997 she became the first woman to break the 38-seconds barrier, skating 37,90 in Calgary. Within the end of the year she had tied this record once and broken it twice, ending on 37,55. Within the next four years she broke her own record four times, ending on 37,22 in Calgary December 2001. No other woman has done 8 consecutive World Records in one distance. She has also won the 500 m World Cup 3 times and the 1000 m World Cup once.

She had a long way to go before she started fighting for Olympic gold and World Records. In the 1994 Olympics she fell on the 500 m and placed 17th on the 1500 m as her best result. Prior to the Nagano Games she was training with her teammate and rival Susan Auch, being coached by Susan's brother, Derrick Auch. In Nagano Susan Auch placed 2nd behind Catriona on the 500 m. She is now coached by the Canadian sprint coach, former Olympic speed skater Sean Ireland. She is married to Bart Doan - a rodeo cowboy and icemaker at the Calgary Olympic Oval.

Until 1996 she was also a track athlete in the summer time, and she represented Saskatchewan at the 1993 Canada Games in the heptathlon and hurdles. She did not show her full skating power until she stopped the track training.

By Bjarte Hetland, last updated November 28, 2005