Derek Parra
Biographical information
| Type | Competed in Olympic Games |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Full name | Derek•Parra |
| Used name | Derek•Parra |
| Born | 15 March 1970 in San Bernardino, California (USA) |
| Measurements | 162 cm / 64 kg |
| Affiliations | Greenfield |
| NOC(s) |  United States |
Biography
Derek Parra was a Mexican-American speed skater who started out as an inline speed skater, but followed the lead of KC Boutiette and Jen Rodriguez and switched to speed skating. On roller skates, Parra was a two-time World Champion and won three US Championships. As a speed skater he has two silver medals from World Championships, a silver in the 1,500 at the Single Distance Championships in 2001, and silver in the 1,500 at the 2002 World Allrounds. He was also third overall at the 2002 World Allrounds, his best year, as he won his Olympic gold medal in the 1,500 and silver in the 5,000 at Salt Lake City. Parra continued to compete thru the 2006 Winter Olympics but with less success, and retired after the Torino Games. He is now the US national all-round speed skating coach. As a Mexican-American Parra was the first US Hispanic male to win a medal or gold medal at the Winter Olympics.
Personal Bests: 500 – 35.88 (2001); 1000 – 1:08.87 (2003); 1500 – 1:43.95 (2002); 3000 – 3:46.14 (2002); 5000 – 6:17.98 (2002); 10000 – 13:33.44 (2002); Sprint Combination – 142.685 (2006); Allround Samalog – 153.661 (2002).
Results
| Games | Discipline (Sport) | Event | Status | Team | Pos | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 Winter Olympics | Speed Skating (Skating) | 1,500 metres, Men | Olympic | 1 | Gold |
Representing United States
|
|
| 5,000 metres, Men | Olympic | 2 | Silver | ||||
| 10,000 metres, Men | Olympic | 13 | |||||
| 2006 Winter Olympics | Speed Skating (Skating) | 1,500 metres, Men | Olympic | 19 |
Representing United States
|
||
| Team Pursuit (8 laps), Men | Olympic | United States | 6 |
Olympic Records
Records may have been broken subsequently during the same competition.| Games | Date | Sport | Event | Phase | Mark | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 Winter Olympics | 9 February 2002 | Speed Skating (Skating) | 5,000 metres, Men | Final Standings | 6:17.98 WR | 2 |
| 2002 Winter Olympics | 19 February 2002 | Speed Skating (Skating) | 1,500 metres, Men | Final Standings | 1:43.95 WR | 1 |
Special Notes
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships (0–1–0 2001 Salt Lake City silver: 1500 m)
- Listed in Olympians Who Set a World Record in Speed Skating (1500 m – 19 February 2002 - 9 January 2005: 1:43.95 (19 February 2002; Salt Lake City, USA); Team Pursuit – 13 November 2004 - 21 November 2004: 3:48.56 (13 November 2004; Hamar, NOR))
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the World Allround Speed Skating Championships (0–0–1 2002 Heerenveen bronze: Allround)
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the Summer Pan American Games (5–2–1 1995 Mar del Plata RSS gold: 300 m track, 1500 m road, 20 km road, marathon, and 10 km relay, silver: 300 m road and 500 m track, bronze: 20 km track)