Heather Carruthers

Awards and honours

She was named the 2012 Junior Female Athlete of the Year for speed skating at Sport Manitoba's Night of Champions award ceremony in Canada. (teammanitoba.ca, 30 Apr 2012) She was presented with the 2011 Outstanding Achievement Award in Winnipeg, MB, Canada. (teammanitoba.ca, 30 Apr 2012)

When and where did you begin this sport?

She began skating at age two in Winnipeg, MB, Canada.

Nicknames	Iggy [a nickname she acquired while skating at St. James Speed Skating Club]. (winnipegreepress.com, 2011)
Other information	BREAK She decided to take some time away from the sport after competing at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, where she was ranked 27th in the women's 500m. She did not train for 10 months and did not compete on the World Cup circuit during the 2022/23 season. "I was very disappointed with my performance and result. Leading into that season, I wasn't in a great place. I was battling injury, and after those Games, I definitely considered retirement, but I didn't want to leave the sport feeling bitter about it. I had moved to Calgary [AB, Canada] in 2011 and I had my foot on the gas up until 2022. That amount of years without really ever taking a break mentally or physically was pretty taxing. I feel like I had a weight lifted off my shoulders and I was able to reset." (winnipegfreepress.com, 16 Jan 2024) FORERUNNER She was a forerunner at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. The role involved skating round the track before each round of events to test that the timing system was working. "I had the most amazing three weeks of my life in Vancouver." (heather-mclean.com, 19 Aug 2014) OTHER ACTIVITIES She has served as an ambassador for Fast and Female, which aims to promote the participation of young women in sport. (X profile, 02 Jul 2019; cscm.ca, 11 Oct 2017)

instagram.com/heathmclean

Injuries

She was affected by injury while competing at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (winnipegfreepress.com, 16 Jan 2024) She has broken her leg during her career. (Athlete, 03 Dec 2015)

Reason for choosing this sport

Her brothers were involved in the sport. "I remember thinking in grade five that I wanted to train on the national team and go to the Olympics."

Most influential person in career	Her parents. (Athlete, 03 Dec 2015)
Hero / Idol	Dutch-born Canadian speed skater Ted-Jan Bloemen. (Athlete, 03 Dec 2015)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"If you're not winning, you're learning." (Athlete, 03 Dec 2015)

twitter.com/heathleemc

Hobbies	Gardening. (toronto.citynews.ca, 13 Feb 2022)
Ambitions	To compete at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. (winnipegfreepress.com, 16 Jan 2024)

Training Regime

She trains at the Olympic Oval in Calgary, AB, Canada.