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Katherine Reutter-Adamek ( ; born July 30, 1988) is an American
short track speed skater Short-track speed skating is a form of competitive ice speed skating. In competitions, multiple skaters (typically between four and six) skate on an oval ice track with a length of . The rink itself is long by wide, which is the same size as ...
. She is a two-time medalist (one silver, one bronze) in the
Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...
, 2011 overall world silver medalist and the 2010–2011 overall
ISU Short Track Speed Skating World Cup The Short Track Speed Skating World Cup is a series of international short track speed skating competitions, organised yearly by the International Skating Union since the winter of 1998/1999. Every year during the winter, a number of competitions on ...
champion. At the
2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May Doan Nancy GreeneWayne Gr ...
, Reutter won silver in the 1000 m and bronze in the 3000 m relay. She has won one gold, two silvers, and four bronze medals at the
World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
, including overall silver medal at the 2011 World Championships. She has also won two bronze medals at the World Team Championships.


Early life

Reutter was born and raised in
Champaign, Illinois Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metrop ...
. Reutter was inspired to become a speed skater after meeting five-time Olympic gold medalist
Bonnie Blair Bonnie Kathleen Blair (born March 18, 1964) is a retired American speed skater. She is one of the top skaters of her era, and one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history. Blair competed for the United States in four Olympics, winning ...
at her high school. She learned to skate with her mother during a figure skating class when she was four years old, but immediately found she was more interested in speed skating. Reutter first started speed skating professionally in 2005 at the age of 17. She began training at the
Olympic Training Center The United States Olympic & Paralympic Training Centers (OPTCs) are two campuses created by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) as training facilities for its Olympic and Paralympic athletes. They are located in Colorado Sp ...
in
Marquette, Michigan Marquette ( ) is a city in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,629 at the 2020 United States Census, which makes it the largest city in the Upper Peninsula. Marquette serves as the seat of government of Marquet ...
that year. Reutter graduated from Centennial High School in 2006. She trained in
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...
,
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...
starting 2007, where she paid for room, board, and training at her own expense, until her retirement in 2013 when she moved to
Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...
.


Career


2008–2009

At the
2008 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships The 2008 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships took place between 7 and 9 March 2008 in Gangneung, South Korea. The World Championships are organised by the ISU which also run world cups and championships in speed skating and figure skating. ...
, Reutter won a bronze medal in the 3000 m with a time of 5:46.518, finishing behind Zhou Yang and Jung Eun-Ju. In February 2009, Reutter completed a 1000 m race in 1:29.667 in
Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
. It was less than 0.2 of a second short of the world record set the previous year by
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of v ...
short track speed skater Wang Meng. At the
2009 World Short Track Speed Skating Team Championships The 2009 World Short Track Speed Skating Team Championships was the 19th edition of the World Short Track Speed Skating Team Championships, which took place on 14-15 March 2009 in Heerenveen, Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nas ...
, in March 2009, Reutter won a bronze medal along with Kimberly Derrick, Alyson Dudek,
Lana Gehring Lana Gehring (born August 21, 1990 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American short track speed skater. She competed for the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics, winning a bronze medal as part of a relay team. She has qualified for a spot on the ...
, and Jessica Smith. Reutter won four silver medals at the 2009 Short Track Speed Skating World Cup. She won the women's 1500 m at the 2009–10 Short Track Speed Skating World Cup on November 7, 2009, finishing in 2:23.275, beating
Cho Ha-Ri Cho Ha-Ri (Hangul: 조해리, Hanja: 趙海利, ; born 29 July 1986) is a short track speed skater who competes for South Korea. She is the 2011 Overall World Champion. Career At the 2010 Winter Olympics, Cho finished 4th in the women's 1000 ...
of
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. Reutter made the 2010 U.S. Olympic team after winning the 1000 and 1500 m at the 2010 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in September 2009.


2010 Winter Olympics

Reutter ranked 1st in her qualifying heats for the 500 m with a time of 44.187. She then set an Olympic record in the first quarterfinal with a time of 43.834 but the record was beaten by Wang Meng of China in the next heat, with a time of 43.284. Reutter started slow in the semifinals, resulting in a fourth-place finish, eliminating her from medal contention. She finished seventh overall in the women's 500 m. Reutter competed in the semifinals for the 3000 m relay with teammates Alyson Dudek,
Allison Baver Allison Baver (born August 11, 1980) is an American retired short track speed skater. A member of the U.S. short track speed skating squad beginning in 2002, Baver earned multiple medials in ISU World Cup competition. Baver competed in the 500m ...
and Kimberly Derrick. The U.S. team qualified for the final in second place behind
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
with a time of 4:15.376. Reutter finished in fourth place in the 1500 m final, behind Zhou Yang of China, with
Lee Eun-Byul Lee Eun-Byul (; born October 2, 1991) is a South Korean short track speed skater. She won the silver medal at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Bolzano. She also finished in second place in the 1500m speed skating at the 2010 Winter Olymp ...
of South Korea in second, and
Park Seung-Hi Park Seung-hi (; born 28 March 1992) is a former South Korean short track and long track speed skater. She is the 2010 Overall World Champion. She won two gold medals and three bronze medals at 2010 Winter Olympics and 2014 Winter Olympics. ...
of South Korea in third. Reutter got tangled up with Wang Meng in the semifinal, causing both skaters and
Cho Ha-Ri Cho Ha-Ri (Hangul: 조해리, Hanja: 趙海利, ; born 29 July 1986) is a short track speed skater who competes for South Korea. She is the 2011 Overall World Champion. Career At the 2010 Winter Olympics, Cho finished 4th in the women's 1000 ...
of South Korea to fall, resulting in Meng being disqualified from the final. Reutter repeated the same move in the final, bumping into Park, and later expressed remorse for both mistakes, stating "I think the room was there but maybe I just wasn't there. I don't know. But … I messed up and messed up some people around me, which I'm very sorry for." In the heats of the 1000 m, Reutter set an
Olympic record Olympic records are the best performances in a specific event in that event's history in either the Summer Olympic Games or the Winter Olympic Games, including: * Archery (list) * Alpine skiing (records recognized only by FIS) * Athletics (lis ...
and finished first overall in the heats. About an hour and a half later, Reutter competed in the 3000 m relay (with Allison Baver, Alyson Dudek,
Lana Gehring Lana Gehring (born August 21, 1990 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American short track speed skater. She competed for the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics, winning a bronze medal as part of a relay team. She has qualified for a spot on the ...
) and won bronze behind China and Canada due to the disqualification of South Korea. In the final of the 1000 m, Reutter was edged out for the gold medal by Wang Meng, finishing behind her 1:29.324 to 1:29.213.


2010 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships

At the 2010 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships, in
Sofia, Bulgaria Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
, Reutter, who was fighting the
flu Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptom ...
, won bronze medals in the 1000 m and the 3000 m relay. In her first event, the 1000 m, Reutter placed third with a time of 1:31.747, finishing behind Wang Meng and
Cho Ha-Ri Cho Ha-Ri (Hangul: 조해리, Hanja: 趙海利, ; born 29 July 1986) is a short track speed skater who competes for South Korea. She is the 2011 Overall World Champion. Career At the 2010 Winter Olympics, Cho finished 4th in the women's 1000 ...
. Reutter then combined with Alyson Dudek, Kimberly Derrick, and
Lana Gehring Lana Gehring (born August 21, 1990 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American short track speed skater. She competed for the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics, winning a bronze medal as part of a relay team. She has qualified for a spot on the ...
in the 3000 m relay to finish third behind
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
and
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...
with a time of 4:14.231. Reutter also placed 6th in the 500 m, 4th in the 1500 m, and 4th in the 3000 m.


2011 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships

At the 2011 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in
Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
, Reutter won one gold, two silvers, and one bronze. She finished second overall with 68 points. In her first event, the 1500 m, Reutter won the gold ahead of Koreans
Park Seung-Hi Park Seung-hi (; born 28 March 1992) is a former South Korean short track and long track speed skater. She is the 2010 Overall World Champion. She won two gold medals and three bronze medals at 2010 Winter Olympics and 2014 Winter Olympics. ...
and
Cho Ha-Ri Cho Ha-Ri (Hangul: 조해리, Hanja: 趙海利, ; born 29 July 1986) is a short track speed skater who competes for South Korea. She is the 2011 Overall World Champion. Career At the 2010 Winter Olympics, Cho finished 4th in the women's 1000 ...
in a time of 2:33.978. In winning the gold, Reutter became the first American woman to win a gold medal at a World Short Track Speed Skating Championships since
Bonnie Blair Bonnie Kathleen Blair (born March 18, 1964) is a retired American speed skater. She is one of the top skaters of her era, and one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history. Blair competed for the United States in four Olympics, winning ...
did in 1986. After the 1500 m, Reutter competed in the 3000 m relay semifinals but fell during the race, resulting in the United States not advancing to the final. In her next event, the 500 m, Reutter did not advance past the semifinals, finishing 6th overall. In the 1000 m, Reutter finished in third place behind Cho Ha-Ri and Italian
Arianna Fontana Arianna Fontana OMRI (born 14 April 1990) is an Italian short track speed skater, who has won eleven Olympic medals among these two gold medals in the 500m short track, one at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang and the second one at the 202 ...
in a time of 2:23.268 even though she tripped on a lane block. In her last event, the 3000 m, Reutter just missed the gold medal, finishing behind Cho Ha-Ri 5:13.677 to 5:13.353.


2013 Retirement

In early 2013 due to constant injuries, Reutter announced her retirement at the age of 24. After that, she became a coach at the
Pettit National Ice Center The Pettit National Ice Center is an indoor ice skating facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, featuring two international-size ice rinks and a 400-meter speed skating oval A speed skating rink (or speed skating oval) is an ice rink in which a spee ...
.


2016 Return to competition

In mid-2016, Reutter announced her return to competition with the goal of competing in the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. She was training at the Pettit Center in Milwaukee. Her dreams of competing in the 2018 Olympics came to a crash when she suffered a concussion and had to miss Pre-Olympics qualifying in 2017 and retiring again.


Appearances and endorsements

Reutter appeared as a guest on
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy program ...
's ''
The Colbert Report ''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show focu ...
'' on December 14, 2009. Host
Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program '' The Colbert Report'' from 2005 t ...
autographed her thigh, an idea by Reutter that initially caught the comedian off guard (Although Reutter's website suggest that it was her manager's idea and they had discussed it with Colbert beforehand). Colbert began raising funds for the U.S. Speedskating team when their sponsor, the Dutch
DSB Bank DSB Bank (''DSB: Dirk Scheringa Beheer'') was a Dutch bank and insurer that failed in 2009. Its loans were managed under ''Quion'' from June 2013 until June 2016 when ''Finqus'' began operating as the former DSB Bank. In 2018 ''Finqus BV'' took ov ...
, went bankrupt. In the lead up to the 2018 Olympics, Reutter was sponsored by TLC The Littleton Clinic, Rosencutter Ultra Fitness, and Performance. Reutter's past sponsors include U.S. Speedskating,
Verizon Verizon Communications Inc., commonly known as Verizon, is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate and a corporate component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is headquartered at 1095 Avenue of the Americas in ...
, EyeCare 20/20, Bioenergy Ribose,
Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...
,
Oakley Oakley may refer to: Places Antarctica *Oakley Glacier United Kingdom * Oakley, Bedfordshire, England *Oakley, Buckinghamshire, England *Oakley, Dorset, England *Oakley, Fife, Scotland * Oakley, Gloucestershire, England * Oakley, Hampshire, En ...
and the Champaign Police Department, who helped pay the costs of her training in Utah.


Personal life

As of 2021, Katherine Reutter resides in
Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
with her husband Mark Adamek and plans of writing a book.


References


External links

*
Katherine Reutter
at the
International Skating Union The International Skating Union (ISU) is the international governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded in Scheveningen ...

Katherine Reutter
at the
United States Olympic Committee The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It was founded in 1895 as the United States Olympic Committee, and is headquartered in Col ...
* * Sponsors
TLC The Littleton Clinic

Rosencutter Ultra Fitness
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reutter, Katherine 1988 births American female short track speed skaters Living people Sportspeople from Champaign, Illinois Short track speed skaters at the 2010 Winter Olympics Olympic silver medalists for the United States in short track speed skating Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in short track speed skating Medalists at the 2010 Winter Olympics 21st-century American women