Annette Gerritsen (NED, Speed Skating)

As a former sprint hurdler, I'm attracted to sports that showcase natural speed. Having lived in a tropical country all my life, the winter sports is a foreign concept (perhaps because of the Mighty Ducks series I've watched as a kid) Speed skating is an interesting discipline. The prospect of going all out on an ice track wearing those razor-sharp skates is a fascinating thought.

Gerritsen in full speed. (Photo from UweFan)

Annette Gerritsen is an elite speed skater. The Dutchwoman is a former World Junior record holder in the 500m, with a time of 38.57s. Gerritsen is a veteran of many international campaigns, having won medals at the world's highest stage, when she snared the silver at the 1000m at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. 

In two editions of the World Sprint Championships, Annette had brought home a bronze (2008) and a silver (2011). Likewise, she reached the podium for both the 500m and the 1000m at the World Single Distance Championships in 2008.

Gerritsen immediately made an impact upon turning professional in 2005.That same year, she won bronze medals at national level championships. Her performances earned her a ticket to the World Sprint Championships, her first ever appearance at a major international.

Source:
Annette's Wikipedia Profile

Kiira Korpi (FIN, Figure Skating Beauty)

Again, we turn to the wonderful world of winter sports for our next Super Senora. Mention the word figure skating and images from the movies "The Cutting Edge" and "Blades of Glory" come into mind.

Finland's Kiira Korpi is one of the most beautiful athletes I've ever seen. In Finland, she is often called as the "Ice Princess" or Jääprinsessa since her resemblance to the late Grace Kelly is uncanny, according to Wikipedia.

Photos from Wikipedia

Korpi is not just a pretty face, mind you. She is Finland's top-ranked figure skater, winning the Finnish national championship twice. In major competitions, she won 3rd place at the 2007 European Championships and at the 2009 Winter Universiade.

Needless to say, Kiira dances around the ice with so much grace. She even makes Beyonce's If I Were A Boy seem tailored-made for an ice waltz.

Claudia Toth (AUT, Curling Beauty)

Our local cable provider carries Eurosport. As a hardcore athletics fan, I used to scour the various sporting channels available for feeds of track & field. Whilst waiting for my favorite events to air, I couldn't help but watch bizarrely alien winter sports. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the grace of figure skating and the sheer exhilaration of ski jumping. Being the tropical habitue that I am, I can't for the love of god, understand the point of curling.

Photo from sportjahr.at

Athletes like Claudia Toth makes learning such a foreign sport a lot easier to bear. Toth is a certified top tier European curler. She is the Austria's curling skip (whatever that means!).

Photos from bleacherreport.com and fanpix.net

The next time Eurosport shows one of those obscure curling live feeds, I'll be on the lookout for a certain Austrian looker! For starters, I shall be intently watching this highly informative clip, just to understand the winter sport a lot better.