Mitchell Whitmore

Mitchell Ryan Whitmore was born on December 18, 1989, in Santa Ana, California, and raised in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He graduated from Waukesha North High School in 2007 and later attended the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, pursuing a degree in psychology. He trained at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee under coach Mike Witty.

Whitmore began competing in long track speed skating, initially focusing on distance events before shifting to sprints. He placed sixth in the 10,000m at the 2006 U.S. Speedskating Championships but soon excelled in the 500m and 1000m. At the 2009 World Junior Speedskating Championships, he won the 500m with a track record of 36.44 seconds and finished fourth in the 1000m. He earned a spot on the 2010 U.S. Olympic team by winning the 500m at the 2009 U.S. Speedskating Championships with a combined time of 70.60 seconds. He also became the 2010 U.S. Sprint Champion and broke the American record in the 500m with a time of 34.19 seconds in Salt Lake City.

Whitmore represented the United States at three Winter Olympics: 2010 in Vancouver, 2014 in Sochi, and 2018 in Pyeongchang. In Vancouver, he finished 37th in the 500m. At the 2017-18 World Sprint Championships, he placed 4th in the 500m, 5th in the 500m, 6th overall, and 7th and 8th in the 1000m. During the 2016-17 season, he was 4th in the 500m at the World Single Distance Championships and 7th overall at the World Sprint Championships (with 8th and 7th in the 500m and 1000m respectively).

On April 1, 2016, the International Skating Union (ISU) suspended Whitmore for one year (April 1, 2016 – March 31, 2017) due to an incident involving Team Corendon trainer Stefano Donagrandi in December 2015. The suspension was later rescinded. Whitmore was also involved in a reported fight with a Dutch coach, which led to media coverage.

Whitmore stands 5'10" (1.78 m) and weighs 165 lbs (75 kg). He is active on social media (X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube). He was a member of Team SWIFT 2.0, a new training group.