Cathrine Grage
Cathrine Grage (born 13 October 1976) is a Danish Olympic speedskater, inline skater and cyclist. Grage and fellow skater Oliver Sundberg are the first Danish speedskaters to reach international competition levels since Kurt Stille ended his career in 1964.
Grage's results from 2006 to 2011 were good enough to pass the qualification limits of the International Skating Union for participation in the European Championships. She also competed regularly in ISU's World Cup from 2005 til 2011. Her best result at European Championships was 13th on the 3000 m. In 2006, she became the first female All Round Danish Champion.
Grage holds the Danish records at all distances, and has set a national record of 51 national records over the individual distances since she started competing in 2005: 10 on the 500-m; 8 on the 1,000-m; 10 on the 1,500-m; 14 on the 3,000-m; 5 on the 5,000-m; and finally 3 in the 10,000-m. In addition she has set a total of 8 further national records in the samalogue events (sprint combination, mini combination, small combination, and big combination). (As of jan 2012, Grage set a total of 61 national records, which is also a record in itself: The Danish record in number of Danish records held by a person).
As of December 2007, her Danish records were 43.19 on the 500-m, 1:23.07 on the 1,000-m, 2:03.21 on the 1,500-m, 4:13.85 on the 3,000-m, 7:20.45 on the 5,000-m, and 15:14.90 on the 10,000-m. All of these were already stronger than Kurt Stille's results, which up to March 2005 were Danish records for men.
The pre-Olympic 2008-2009 season was not a very successful one for Grage, e.g. regarding World Cup results. But in Calgary, March 2009, she again managed to set new national records, in fact six such over three days (by itself another national record): 42.99 on the 500-m; 2:01.88 on the 1,500-m; 1:22.52 on the 1,000-m; 4:11.86 on the 3,000-m; resulting also in the small combination pointsum record 166.853; and finally 15:11.84 in the 10,000-m.
Grage qualified for the World Championships Single Distances in 2008 in Nagano, where she placed 14th on the 5,000 m and 20th on the 3,000 m - and in 2011 in Inzell where she placed 16th in the 5,000 m and 19th in the 3,000 m.
Grage participated in her first Olympic Games, after only 4 years of participating in Long track speed skating. She competed in the 3000m Ladies event, as well as the 5000m. Grage placed 14th, in the 5000m, with a time of 7:23:83. A difference of +32.92 seconds off the gold. In the 3000m, Cathrine places 27th with a time 4:20.93 and a difference of only +18.40 off the gold.
Grages best results in World Cup was the 7th fastest time over all on the 5,000 m.
Grage stopped speed skating in 2011 and started competing in cycling. In December 2011, she won a silver medal on the 3 km in a time of 3.49 at the Danish Championships in track cycling.
National speedskating records set by Grage
| Event | Date | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500-m | 26 February 2005 | 53.60 | Copenhagen |
| 19 March 2005 | 51.79 | Groningen | |
| 6 November 2005 | 48.82 | Gothenburg | |
| 17 December 2005 | 47.10 | Inzell | |
| 18 December 2005 | 46.48 | Inzell | |
| 29 December 2005 | 45.56 | Hamar | |
| 10 January 2006 | 44.7 | Hamar | |
| 14 January 2006 | 43.91 | Hamar | |
| 10 March 2007 | 43.19 | Calgary | |
| 18 March 2009 | 42.99 | Calgary | |
| 1000-m | 5 November 2005 | 1:36.66 | Gothenburg |
| 27 November 2005 | 1:35.54 | Karlstad | |
| 18 December 2005 | 1:32.18 | Inzell | |
| 29 December 2005 | 1:30.3 | Hamar | |
| 11 January 2006 | 1:25.9 | Hamar | |
| 16 March 2007 | 1:23.82 | Calgary | |
| 17 March 2007 | 1:23.03 | Calgary | |
| 19 March 2009 | 1:22.52 | Calgary | |
| 1500-m | 26 February 2005 | 2:42.25 | Copenhagen |
| 6 November 2005 | 2:21.3 | Gothenburg | |
| 4 December 2005 | 2:10.73 | Heerenveen | |
| 29 October 2006 | 2:10.70 | Erfurt | |
| 13 January 2007 | 2:06.89 | Collalbo | |
| 4 February 2007 | 2:06.69 | Turin | |
| 14 March 2007 | 2:05.97 | Calgary | |
| 10 November 2007 | 2:04.31 | Salt Lake City | |
| 17 November 2007 | 2:03.21 | Calgary | |
| 18 March 2009 | 2:01.88 | Calgary | |
| 3000-m | 26 February 2005 | 5:22.09 | Copenhagen(massstart) |
| 5 November 2005 | 4:50.1 | Gothenburg | |
| 27 November 2005 | 4:46.84 | Karlstad | |
| 10 December 2005 | 4:32.56 | Turin | |
| 29 December 2005 | 4:32.45 | Hamar | |
| 14 January 2006 | 4:26.38 | Hamar | |
| 12 November 2006 | 4:23.67 | Heerenveen | |
| 18 November 2006 | 4:22.19 | Berlin | |
| 3 February 2007 | 4:21.33 | Turin | |
| 13 March 2007 | 4:18.51 | Calgary | |
| 3 November 2007 | 4:16.50 | Salt Lake City | |
| 11 November 2007 | 4:14.65 | Salt Lake City | |
| 16 November 2007 | 4:13.85 | Calgary | |
| 19 March 2009 | 4:11.86 | Calgary | |
| 5000-m | 3 December 2005 | 7:38.79 | Heerenveen |
| 22 October 2006 | 7:38.51 | Erfurt | |
| 18 February 2007 | 7:28.99 | Erfurt | |
| 14 March 2007 | 7:28.06 | Calgary | |
| 1 December 2007 | 7:20.45 | Kolomna | |
| 10,000-m | 4 March 2006 | 16:24.29 | Groningen |
| 21 March 2006 | 15:48.86 | Heerenveen | |
| 15 March 2007 | 15:14.90 | Calgary | |
| 20 March 2009 | 15:11.84 | Calgary |
Grage also owns various national samalogue (allround point combination) records; these are apparently not all ratified by the Danish skating association, however. With reasonable definitions, these samalogue records are as follows (as of November 2007):
Overall sprint combination:
170.245 (43.49, 1:23.82, 43.31, 1:23.07), Calgary, 15–16 March 2007.
Overall mini combination:
192.600 (1:36.66, 4:50.1, 48.82, 2:21.3), Gothenburg, 4–5 November 2005.
181.284 (2:15.50, 45.56, 1:30.3, 4:32.45), Hamar, 27–28 December 2005.
166.853 (42.99, 2:01.88, 1:22,25, 4:11.86), Calgary, 18–19 March 2009.
Overall small combination:
182.553 (2:15.50, 7:44.19, 45.56, 4:32.45), Hamar, 27–28 December 2005.
178.920 (44.61, 4:28.46, 2:10.70, 7:40.01), Erfurt, 27–28 October 2006.
173.171 (43.29, 4:18.51, 2:05.97, 7:28.06), Calgary, 12–13 March 2007.
Overall big combination:
175.831 (43.29, 7:28.06, 2:05.97, 15:14.90), Calgary, 12–13 March 2007.
UPDATE:
New national speedskating records set by Grage 19. sept 2010 - 61 in total
| Event | Date | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500-m | 19 December 2009 | 42,27 | Calgary |
| 1000-m | 19 December 2009 | 1:21.68 | Calgary |
| 1500-m | 13 November 2009 | 1:59.86 | Salt Lake |
| 3000-m | 12 November 2009 | 4:07.73 | Salt Lake |
| 5000-m | 21 November 2009 | 7:10,24 | Hamar |
| 10,000-m | 20 March 2009 | 15:11.84 | Calgary |
Results from Inline Skating
Cathrine Grage has more than 20 national titles on inline skates and she has won the Master World Championships one time and the Master European Championships 4 times.
Grage skated the World Inline Cup for two seasons. Her best results were 5th in Glarus and 11th in Seoul.
Grage participated in the European Championships in Heerde 2004, where she placed 8th on the 1,000 m and 13th in the points. Grage was on the Danish National team in Inline skating from 2003 to 2006.
External links
- Cathrine Grage at Olympedia
- Cathrine Grage at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
- Cathrine Grage in SpeedSkatingBase.eu
- Cathrine Grage at SpeedSkatingNews.info
- Cathrine Grage at SpeedSkatingStats.com
- Cathrine Grage at SkateResults.com
- Cathrine Grage's home page
- Interview with Grage and Sundberg
- Grage and Sundberg in Danish Politiken
- Grage and Sundberg at ECh 2006
- Photographs of Grage
- Television programme with Grage