Renate Groenewold

Renate Groenewold

Groenewold in 2007
Personal information
Birth name	Renate Titzia Groenewold
Born	(1976-10-08) 8 October 1976 (age 40) Veendam, Netherlands
Height	178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	73.5 kg (162 lb)
Sport
Country	Netherlands
Sport	Speed skating
Turned pro	1997
Retired	2010
Medal record Representing the  Netherlands Women's speed skating Olympic Games 2002 Salt Lake City 3000 m 2006 Turin 3000 m World Championships 2009 Vancouver 3000 m 2004 Hamar Allround 2008 Nagano Team pursuit 2007 Salt Lake City 3000 m 2007 Salt Lake City Team pursuit 2009 Vancouver Team pursuit 2001 Budapest Allround European Championships 2006 Hamar Allround 2000 Hamar Allround 2002 Erfurt Allround 2003 Heerenveen Allround 2004 Heerenveen Allround 2007 Collalbo Allround

Renate Titzia Groenewold (born 8 October 1976) is a Dutch former long track speed skater and road bicycle racer.

Groenewold has won several Dutch Championships. In 1999, 2002 and 2003 she won the Dutch allround championship. On the European Allround Championships she has won various medals. Five times she came in third in the overall ranking. In 2005, she won the silver medal which was her best result at the European Championships. In 2001, she also came in third in the overall ranking on the World Allround Championships, which she won in 2004.

Besides participating in the all-round championships Groenewold has participated in the championships for individual distances. Her best results there were winning the team pursuit in 2008 and the 3000 meters in 2009.

In 2002 Groenewold participated at the 2002 Winter Olympics. She won the silver medal in the 3000 m. However on the 1500 m she fell in the second turn. At the 2006 Winter Olympics, rookie compatriot Ireen Wüst beat her to the gold on the 3000 m, leaving Groenewold with silver once more.

In 2007, Groenewold joined Team DSB Bank, which was a women's professional cycling team that competed in international and UCI Women's Road World Cup events. In 2010, Groenewold competed again at the 2010 Winter Olympics, in Vancouver. She was listed as one of lesbian athletes at the Games, even though she never publicly came out and even denied she was a lesbian. She retired from speed skating later that year.