Stefan Groothuis

Who is Stefan Groothuis?

Stefan Groothuis is a Dutch speed skater. He is the World Sprint Champion for 2012 and the gold medal winner in the 1000 metres at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Groothuis, a specialist in the middle distances, had his international breakthrough in 2005. In that year he reached a second spot during the Speed Skating World Cup meeting in Salt Lake City competing in the 1000 metres. This earned him a nomination for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. During the Dutch Single Distance Championships in December 2005, he switched this nomination into a qualification by placing fourth behind Jan Bos, Erben Wennemars, and Beorn Nijenhuis, who all qualified as well.

In January, 2006, Groothuis surprisingly became the Dutch national sprint champion, finishing first in two 500 metres and two 1000 metres races, outsprinting common names like Gerard van Velde, Nijenhuis, and Wennemars. A month later at the 2006 Winter Olympics, Groothuis would finish in eighth position in the 1000 metres. His time of 1:09.57 was 0.68 behind the winner Shani Davis.

At the 2012 World Sprint Speed Skating Championships in Calgary, Groothuis won the gold medal. His point total of 136.810 broke the world record for the sprint combination held by Jeremy Wotherspoon.