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CALGARY - Olympic medallist and Canadian record holder Arne Dankers has decided to retire from the national long-track speedskating team. Dankers, an eight-year national team member, said it was a difficult decision to make with the Vancouver Olympics just a year away. "I have taken a long time to decide to officially retire," Dankers said Tuesday in a release. "But in light of everything, I think this is the best move for me to make."
The 28-year-old Calgary native started speedskating when he was eight and competed in his first international competition, a world junior championships, in 1998. Dankers was a member of the Canadian pursuit team that won a silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. He also finished fifth in the 5,000 metres. He retires as the Canadian record holder in the 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000 metres. Dankers, who married fellow national team member Kerry Simpson last summer, graduated from the University of Calgary in 2005 with an electrical engineering degree. He is now planning on finishing his master's degree in the same field.
“I think that Right To Play is an amazing organization which has a major impact in the world. I believe in the power of sport and play to teach children the skills that they need to grow up in their world, and to change their world for the better. I believe that sport and play are very useful tools to teach children essential skills that they otherwise may not have the opportunity to learn.”
Career Highlights
2006 Olympics
Men’s 1500m
Men’s 5000m – 5th place
Men’s 10000m – 9th place
Men’s Team Pursuit - Silver
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