Jennifer RODRIGUEZ

Jennifer Rodriguez started out as an artistic roller skater, and then switched to inline speed skating, winning three titles at the 1993 World Championships. In 1996, she switched to speed skating in an attempt to make the US Olympic Team, and has since made three US Olympic teams – 1998, 2002, 2006. She was the first US Winter Olympian female medalist of Hispanic descent, as Rodriguez is Cuban-American, the daughter of a Cuban immigrant father and an American mother. She started out as an all-round skater but later in her career, was primarily a sprinter, and won the 2005 World Sprint Championships, after winning a bronze in the event in 2004. At the World Single Distance Championships, she won four medals from 2003-05, a silver in the 1,000 in 2003, and bronzes in the 1,500 in 2003-05. As a measure of her range, in 2003 she placed fifth in both the World Allround and Sprint Championships. Rodriguez was married for a time to American speed skater KC Boutiette, who also started out as an inline skater and encouraged her to make the change as well.

Personal Bests: 500 – 37.87 (2005); 1000 – 1:14.05 (2003); 1500 – 1:54.61 (2005); 3000 – 4:04.99 (2002); 5000 – 7:07.93 (2001); Sprint Combination – 150.015 (2005); Allround Samalog – 163.735 (2002).