Speedskating champion Charles Hamelin relaxes with video games

When Olympic short-track speedskating champion Charles Hamelin isn’t training or racing, chances are he’s in front of a video game console.

The 33-year-old from Sainte-Julie, Que., says it relaxes him.

“It helps me to focus on my skating when I need to and kind of forget about it when I’m back at the hotel room or when I’m back home,” Hamelin said in an interview. “To make sure that I think about something else than only speedskating.

“Sometimes when you think too much about what you do, you can get burned out and not like it anymore. That’s my way to free my mind and think about something completely different.”

Back from competing on the World Cup circuit in Asia, Hamelin will be training at home until the Olympic Games start Feb. 9 in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Hamelin says he plays all kind of games, with first-person shooters like the “Battlefield” and “Call of Duty” series among his favourites. “Diablo 3,” “World of Warcraft” and “Destiny” are also in his rotation, as are the latest “Super Mario” titles.

He games on his PC, PlayStation 4 and just got a Nintendo Switch. Most of the time he plays online, saying he enjoys the competition.

This week Hamelin is serving as the official ambassador for MIGS17, the 14th edition of the Montreal International Game Summit.