Cindy Klassen, Olympic Speedskater was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday night at the 39th Annual Induction Dinner which AM1250's Michelle Sawatzky had the honour to host as emcee. 

Of all the tremendous athletes Manitoba has produced, none has had more impact on the international stage as Cindy Klassen with six Olympic medals in long track speed skating over her career, including five at the 2006 Games in Torino. 

One of Canada's most successful athletes, Klassen won the hearts of all Canadians at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, winning gold in the 1,500m, silver in the 1,000m and the Team Pursuit event and bronze in the 3,000m and 5,000m races. 

She's still the only Canadian athlete to win five medals at a single Olympic Games with IOC president Jacques Rogge calling her the "Woman of the Games".

In her 15 years of competitive speed skating, Cindy Klassen won a total of 115 international medals: 46 gold, 41 silver and 28 bronze. She was crowned World Champion nine times!! 

Having said all of that, perhaps her greatest accomplishment is how she has managed to stay humble and thankful for her home province of Manitoba for all that it offered her as a young athlete and how it continues to support her 100% even today!! 

Thank you Cindy for always representing us SO well and Congratulations on now being a worthy member of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame!! 

The entire slate of inductees included: Sandra Carroll - Athlete - basketball, Jaimie Dawson - Athlete - badminton, Coleen Dufresne - Builder - All Round, Wayne Hildahl - Builder - Sports Medicine/Special Olympics, Art Johnston - Builder - Golf, Jaimie Jones - Athlete - All Round, Cindy Klassen - Athlete - Speed Skating, Bob Kraemer - Athlete - All Round, and 1995 Team MacKenzie - Team - Curling.