Annie Perreault

Annie Perreault

 Annie Perreault, speed skater (b at Windsor, Qué 28 July 1971). She began speed skating at the age of 6 alongside her sister Maryse. She began competing at an international level in 1987 and soon dominated the world scene by winning her first world championship as part of a relay team in 1991. She competed in the 1992 Olympics at Albertville, where she won the inaugural women's relay gold medal with the same relay partners: Sylvie Daigle, Nathalie Lambert and Angela Cutrone.

Perreault missed the Olympics at Lillehammer in 1994 due to a severe concussion sustained at the Canadian Olympic trials. Five months prior to the 1998 games at Nagano, Perreault had surgery on both shins to relieve a chronic problem with compartment syndrome. She was able to overcome this setback to win a gold in the 500 m and a bronze in the relay at the 1998 Olympics. In recognition of her accomplishments, she was named Québec Athlete of the Year in 1998. Perreault had another setback after suffering an 8-inch gash on her left thigh from a collision during a 1500 m race in December 2000. However, she was able to return to competition in time to gather enough points to qualify for the 2002 Olympics at Salt Lake as an alternate in the women's 3000 m relay.