Kris Wirtz

Who is Kris Wirtz?

Kris Wirtz is a Canadian pair skater from Marathon, Ontario. He competed with Kristy Sargeant in the Winter Olympics twice. He previously partnered Sherry Ball at the 1992 Olympics. Over the years, he also competed in Canadian skating championships in singles, dance, and fours.

He and Sargeant were married in 1999 and had their first child together in 2002. They now work as coaches with the Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club, in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Wirtz is not the only member of his family involved with Canadian figure skating. His brother was the late coach Paul Wirtz and his nephew is pair skater Sean Wirtz.

On January 3, 2010 the Olympic Torch relay passed through Wirtz's hometown of Marathon, Ontario. Wirtz's father, Gunter Wirtz, carried the Olympic torch in a special lunch time procession through the local hockey arena.

"In Marathon, Ontario, every seat in the local hockey arena was filled. Once Guenther Wirtz, father of Marathon's Olympic hero figure skater Kris Wirtz, brought the Olympic Flame to the stage...the crowd went wild. The noise of cowbells, thunder sticks and tambourines filled the arena, as did the spirit of the Olympic Flame."