# Stefan Groothuis

Stefan Groothuis (born 23 November 1981) is a Dutch retired speed skater. He is the World Sprint Champion for 2012 and the gold medal winner in the 1000 metres at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

## Career

Groothuis, a specialist in the middle distances (1000 and 1500 metres), had his international breakthrough in 2005. In that year he reached a second spot during the Speed Skating World Cup meeting in Salt Lake City competing in the 1000 metres. This earned him a nomination for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. During the Dutch Single Distance Championships in December 2005, he switched this nomination into a qualification by placing fourth behind Jan Bos, Erben Wennemars, and Beorn Nijenhuis, who all qualified as well.
In January 2006 Groothuis surprisingly became the Dutch national sprint champion, finishing first in two 500 metres and two 1000 metres races, outsprinting common names like Gerard van Velde, Nijenhuis, and Wennemars. A month later at the 2006 Winter Olympics, Groothuis would finish in eighth position in the 1000 metres. His time of 1:09.57 was 0.68 behind the winner Shani Davis.
In the 2010-2011 World Cup season, Groothuis would win the 1000 metre overall World Cup, dethroning perennial winner Shani Davis. He would also lead the 2011-2012 1000 metre standings going into the final race, but would be beaten out in the season finale by Davis and also just edged for the season 1000 title by Davis as a result.
At the 2012 World Sprint Speed Skating Championships in Calgary, Groothuis won the gold medal. His point total of 136.810 broke the world record for the sprint combination held by Jeremy Wotherspoon. He also won gold in the 1000 metres at the World Single Distance Championships that year.

## Personal records

Personal records :
| Men's speed skating |||||
| Event | Result | Date | Location | Notes |
| 500 m | 34.55 | 21 January 2012 | Salt Lake City | |
| 1000 m | 1:06.96 | 29 January 2012 | Calgary | |
| 1500 m | 1:43.48 | 4 December 2009 | Calgary | |
| 3000 m | 3:53.72 | 16 March 2001 | Calgary | |
| 5000 m | 6:54.59 | 20 March 2002 | Calgary | |
| 10000 m | 14:41.70 | 21 March 2002 | Calgary | |
Source: SpeedskatingResults.com

## World record

| Nr. | Event | Result | Date | Location | Note |
| 1. | Sprint combination | 136.810 | 29 January 2012 | Calgary | World record until 28 January 2013 |

## Tournament overview

| Season | Dutch Championships Single Distances | Dutch Championships Sprint | World Championships Sprint | World Championships Single Distances | Olympic Games | World Cup GWC | World Championships Junior Allround |
| 2000–01 | THE HAGUE 18th 500m 25th 1000m | | | | | | GRONINGEN 7th 500m 12th 3000m 1500m 12th 5000m 6th overall |
| 2001–02 | GRONINGEN 11th 500m 6th 1000m 12th 1500m | GRONINGEN 11th 500m 6th 1000m 9th 500m 9th 1000m 7th overall | | | | | |
| 2002–03 | UTRECHT 8th 500m 4th 1000m 16th 1500m | GRONINGEN 8th 500m 6th 1000m 9th 500m 5th 1000m 6th overall | | | | 29th 1000m | |
| 2003–04 | HEERENVEEN 7th 500m 9th 1000m 22nd 1500m | UTRECHT 8th 500m 6th 1000m 11th 500m 8th 1000m 8th overall | | | | | |
| 2004–05 | ASSEN 6th 500m 7th 1000m 5th 1500m | GRONINGEN 7th 500m 6th 1000m 7th 500m 6th 1000m 4th overall | | | | 24th 1000m 34th 1500m | |
| 2005–06 | HEERENVEEN 4th 1000m 8th 1500m | ASSEN 5th 500m 1000m 8th 500m 1000m overall | HEERENVEEN 30th 500m 11th 1000m 31st 500m 7th 1000m 17th overall | | TURIN 8th 1000m | 9th 1000m | |
| 2006–07 | ASSEN 6th 500m 1000m 8th 1500m | GRONINGEN 7th 500m 1000m 8th 500m 5th 1000m 5th overall | | | | 45th 500m 5th 1000m 9th 1500m | |
| 2007–08 | | | | | | | |
| 2008–09 | HEERENVEEN 4th 500m 1000m 5th 1500m | GRONINGEN 500m 1000m 4th 500m 1000m overall | MOSCOW 30th 500m 1000m 12th 500m 5th 1000m 18th overall | VANCOUVER 15th 500m 4th 1000m 7th 1500m | | 27th 100m 19th 500m 1000m 9th 1500m | |
| 2009–10 | HEERENVEEN 4th 500m 1000m 1500m | GRONINGEN 500m 1000m 500m 1000m overall | | | VANCOUVER 4th 1000m 16th 1500m | 23rd 500m 1000m 6th 1500m | |
| 2010–11 | HEERENVEEN 500m 1000m 1500m | HEERENVEEN 500m 1000m 500m 1000m overall | HEERENVEEN 500m 1000m 12th 500m 1000m 4th overall | INZELL 1000m | | 15th 500m 1000m 1500m | |
| 2011–12 | HEERENVEEN 500m 1000m 1500m | HEERENVEEN 500m 1000m 9th 500m 1000m overall | CALGARY 9th 500m 1000m 12th 500m 1000m overall | HEERENVEEN 1000m 5th 1500m | | 15th 500m 1000m 6th 1500m GWC | |
| 2012–13 | HEERENVEEN 8th 500m 7th 1000m | GRONINGEN 5th 500m 1000m 4th 500m 1000m overall | SALT LAKE CITY 18th 500m 4th 1000m 25th 500m 17th 1000m 17th overall | SOCHI 8th 1000m | | 7th 1000m 24th 1500m | |
| 2013–14 | HEERENVEEN 6th 500m 4th 1000m 7th 1500m | AMSTERDAM 8th 500m 12th 1000m 8th 500m 1000m 6th overall | | | SOCHI 38th 500m 1000m 12th 1500m | 41st 500m 8th 1000m 22nd 1500m | |
| 2014–15 | HEERENVEEN 10th 500m 1000m 11th 1500m | GRONINGEN 11th 500m 1000m 13th 500m 8th 1000m 5th overall | | HEERENVEEN 6th 1000m | | 4th 1000m | |
| 2015–16 | HEERENVEEN 9th 500m 1000m 1500m | | | KOLOMNA 14th 1000m 14th 1500m | | 32nd 1000m | |
source:

## World Cup overview

| Season | 500 meter | 500 meter | 500 meter | 500 meter | 500 meter | 500 meter | 500 meter | 500 meter | 500 meter | 500 meter | 500 meter | 500 meter | 500 meter |
| 2002–2003 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2003–2004 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2004–2005 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2005–2006 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2006–2007 | – | – | – | – | – | 3rd(b) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2007–2008 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2008–2009 | 12th | 17th | 15th | 17th | 15th | 14th | – | – | 12th | 14th | 16th | 9th | 19th |
| 2009–2010 | 11th | 17th | 12th | 18th | 11th(b) | DNF | – | – | 14th | 8th | – | – | |
| 2010–2011 | 6th | 7th | 16th | 13th | 20th | 16th | – | – | 12th | 10th | 5th | – | |
| 2011–2012 | 5th | 12th | | – | 12th | – | 8th | – | 4th | – | – | – | |
| 2012–2013 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 13th(b) | – | – | – | - | |
| 2013–2014 | – | – | 11th(b) | – | – | 3rd(b) | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2014–2015 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2015–2016 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Season | 1000 meter | 1000 meter | 1000 meter | 1000 meter | 1000 meter | 1000 meter | 1000 meter | 1000 meter | 1000 meter | 1000 meter |
| 2002–2003 | 18th | 17th | 16th | 18th | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2003–2004 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2004–2005 | 21st | 20th | 1st(b) | 3rd(b) | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2005–2006 | | 16th | 7th | DQ | 18th | | – | – | – | 5th |
| 2006–2007 | 7th | 5th | 18th | 5th | | 6th | 6th | 6th | 4th | 11th |
| 2007–2008 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2008–2009 | | 6th | | | – | – | | | 6th | 4th |
| 2009–2010 | DNF | 1st(b) | 4th | – | | | | | | |
| 2010–2011 | | 5th | | | – | | | | | |
| 2011–2012 | | | 4th | | | | 4th | | | |
| 2012–2013 | – | – | – | – | – | 7th | 8th | | | |
| 2013–2014 | 10th | DQ | 7th | – | | 6th | | | | |
| 2014–2015 | 9th | | 6th | 11th | 6th | | 10th | | | |
| 2015–2016 | DQ | 5th(b) | – | 3rd(b) | – | – | – | | | |
| Season | 1500 meter | 1500 meter | 1500 meter | 1500 meter | 1500 meter | 1500 meter |
| 2002–2003 | | | | | | |
| 2003–2004 | | | | | | |
| 2004–2005 | – | 3rd(b) | – | – | – | |
| 2005–2006 | | | | | | |
| 2006–2007 | – | – | – | 1st(b) | 8th | 5th |
| 2007–2008 | | | | | | |
| 2008–2009 | 10th | | 8th | 11th | 5th | – |
| 2009/–010 | 4th | | 17th | 5th | – | 5th |
| 2010–2011 | 4th | | 9th | 4th | – | |
| 2011–2012 | | 6th | 12th | | 5th | 15th |
| 2012–2013 | – | – | – | 19th | 1st(b) | 18th |
| 2013–2014 | – | – | 3rd(b) | – | 11th | 11th |
| 2014–2015 | | | | | | |
| 2015–2016 | | | | | | |
    – = Did not participate
    (b) = Division B
    DQ = Disqualified
    DNF = Did not finish

## Medals won

| Championship | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Dutch Single Distances | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Dutch Sprint | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| World Sprint | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| World Single Distances | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| World Cup 500m | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| World Cup 1000m | 8 | 12 | 6 |
| World Cup 1500m | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| World Cup classification | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Olympic Games | 1 | 0 | 0 |

## Career highlights

* 2001, 6th, Junior World Championships
* 2002, 6th, 1000 metres, Dutch National Single Distance Championships
* 2002, 7th, Dutch National Sprint Championships
* 2003, 4th, 1000 metres and 8th, 500 metres, Dutch National Single Distance Championships
* 2003, 6th, Dutch National Sprint Championships
* 2004, 6th, 500 metres and 9th, 1000 metres, Dutch National Single Distance Championships
* 2004, 8th, Dutch National Sprint Championships
* 2005, 5th, 1500 metres; 6th, 500 metres; and 7th, 1000 metres; Dutch National Single Distance Championships
* 2005, 4th, Dutch National Sprint Championships
* 2006, 4th, 1000 metres and 8th, 1500 metres, Dutch National Single Distance Championships
* 2006, 1st, Dutch National Sprint Championships
* 2006, 8th, 1000 metres, 2006 Winter Olympics
* 2006, 9th, 1000 metres, World Cup
* 2007, 2nd, 1000 metres; 6th, 500 metres; and 8th, 1500 metres; Dutch National Single Distance Championships
* 2014, 1st, 1000 metres, 2014 Winter Olympics
Source: www.sskating.com