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Cathy Turner

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Athlete

The Resume

    (April 10, 1962- )
    Born in Rochester, New York
    Short-track speed skater
    Won two Olympic gold medals in 500 meters (1992,1994)
    Won a silver medal (1992) and a bronze medal (1994) in the 3,000 meter relay

Why she might be annoying:

    Her aggressive style of skating prompted Canadian speed skater Nathalie Lambert to complain, ‘It turns our sport into roller derby.’
    She was suspended for three months for yelling obscenities at coaches and officials.
    In the 500 meter race at Lillehammer (1994), silver medalist Zhang Yanmei accused Turner of grabbing her leg while passing her.
    She was disqualified from the 1000 meter semifinals for impeding a South Korean skater by cross-tracking (1994).
    Police were called to her house when she reportedly hit her husband with a metal beer stein (1995).
    She provided the singing voice of the Chuck E. Cheese character Helen Henny (1995-96).

Why she might not be annoying:

    She retired from skating for eight years to pursue a career as a singer/songwriter (1980-88), only to come back and earn four Olympic medals.
    Her response to other skaters’ complaints: ‘What it really is, I just popped into their sport and beat them all, and they’re pissed.’
    When a group of female gold medalists from the 1992 Winter Olympics visited the White House, she volunteered to give a speech as they presented the President with a Team USA jacket. When the podium proved too tall for her, President George H.W. Bush came over and pulled out a step stool for her.
    In an ice-themed ‘Battle of the Sexes,’ she beat Al Iafrate in skating three laps around the Capitals’ warm-up rink at Piney Orchard, Maryland (1993).
    Her husband struck her during an argument, making a cut on her face that required sutures (1997).

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 14 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying