Susan Auch
Speed Skating Athlete — Inducted 1999
Susan Auch is a five-time Olympic speed skater and one of Canada’s most successful sprint competitors. Known for her explosive starts and determination, her international career spanned more than a decade and included success in both short track and long track speed skating.
Susan’s Olympic career began at the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, where she won a bronze medal as a member of Canada’s 3000-metre short track relay team. She later transitioned to long track speed skating and became one of the world’s top 500-metre specialists. She won silver medals in the 500-metre event at both the 1994 Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer and the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano.
Throughout her career, Susan competed in five Olympic Games — 1988, 1992, 1994, 1998, and 2002. She earned international recognition for her powerful racing style and fast starts. During the 1995 season, she won three World Cup gold medals in the 500 metres and defeated American Olympic champion Bonnie Blair in several races. That same year she was named Canadian Press Female Athlete of the Year.
Susan won the Canadian Sprint Championship five times between 1989 and 1994. She also became one of only three women in the world to skate the 500 metres in under 39 seconds without the use of klap skates. After suffering a serious knee injury in 1996, she returned to elite competition and captured a silver medal at the 1998 Olympic Games.
Susan retired from competition following the 2002 Winter Olympics.
After Induction
Following her competitive career, Susan Auch remained closely connected to sport through leadership, coaching, and broadcasting roles. She served on the Board of Directors for Speed Skating Canada and later became Chief Executive Officer of the organization from 2017 to 2019. She has also worked as a commentator for numerous international speed skating events.
Susan has received numerous honours recognizing her achievements and contributions to sport. She was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 2003, the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 2010, and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. Winnipeg’s long track training facility was named the Susan Auch Speed Skating Oval in recognition of her accomplishments.
