6 TO WATCH
CANADIANS TO FOLLOW HEADING INTO THE 2018 WINTER OLYMPICS
CALGARY• The 2018 Canadian Winter Olympic team will feature several big names that already reside in the collective conscience of the nation.
Two- time Olympic champion Kaillie Humphries is looking to defend her title in women’s bobsled. Mikael Kingsbury is vying for Olympic gold, the only thing missing from his resume as the most-decorated mogul skier in history. Mark McMorris will no doubt grab headlines yet again as the flatlander from Regina who scrapes the sky on his snowboard.
Four-time Olympic medallist Charles Hamelin is back looking for more hardware in short track at age 32. Erik Guay, now 35 and the most decorated Canadian alpine skier in history, is looking for his first Olympic medal after three near misses. Olympic champion Marielle Thompson continues to dominate as the World Cup overall leader in ski cross.
But here are athletes you might not know who are equally capable of reaching the podium next year in Pyeongchang, South Korea:
Ivanie Blondin, Speed Skating Age: 26
Hometown: Ottawa The Skinny: From a distance, Blondin’s Olympic debut at the 2014 Winter Games looked unspectacular. ( She placed 14th in the 3,000 metres, 24th in the 5,000 metres and fifth in the team pursuit). But Blondin’s signature event is the mass start, a new Olympic event in which 24 skaters take off at the same time and battle for position through 16 laps over six kilometres. Thanks to her roots in short track, Blondin likes to get her elbows up and jostle with her competitors. She is the reigning world champion in the mass start and the 2014-15 World Cup overall champion. Ranked second overall this season, Blondin is one of Canada’s top medal hopefuls.
Mirela Rahneva, Skeleton Age: 28
Hometown: Ottawa The Skinny: Definitely Canada’s rookie of the year in winter sport, Rahneva has turned heads in her first season on the World Cup circuit. A wedding planner by trade, Rahneva has four medals — including one gold — in seven tries. She is extremely quick off the start and expected to climb even higher up the standings once she has more driving experience on the different tracks. Rahneva is best known for her work ethic, as she often puts in 14- hour days at Winsport’s Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, training for the first half and toiling in the catering department for the second half to help pay the bills. .
Max Parrot, Snowboard ( Big Air, Slopestyle) Age: 22
Hometown: Bromont, Que. The Skinny: At age nine, Parrot went door- to- door marketing his services in lawn mowing to raise money for his first snowboard. His parents thought skiing was safer and tried to throw up obstacles to keep their son closer to the ground. It didn’t work. Thirteen years later, he’s the Winter X Games champion in snowboarding down a steep pitch and launching off a massive jump. Big air, as it’s called, is one of the new additions to the Olympic menu, and Parrot is the star. But if he has an off day, fellow Canadians McMorris, Sebastien Toutant, Tyler Nicholson and Darcy Sharpe are all in the mix for the podium.
Kim Boutin, Short Track Age: 22
Hometown: Sherbrooke, Que. The Skinny: Boutin served notice of her potential in the 2014-15 season by finishing fourth in the 1,000 metres at the world championships. But like many university students her age, Boutin experienced burnout — mentally and physically — in her sophomore season on the World Cup circuit. Wisely, she took six months off from skating to reboot and recharge. Now back, Boutin keeps getting faster as the 2016-17 season progresses. With four medals in five Cup events this season, Boutin is an integral member of the relay team.
Alex Harvey, Cross- Country Skiing Age: 28
Hometown: Saint-Ferreol- lesNeiges, Que.
The Skinny: Yes, Harvey is a two- time Olympian and received plenty of press heading into the Sochi Games, only to fail to crack the top 10 in any event. But now in the prime of his career, Harvey is a legitimate medal threat in multiple distances and the anchor of the Canadian relay team that won a historic bronze last month at a World Cup stop in Ulricehamn, Sweden. Harvey is ranked fourth overall in the World Cup standings, and he is looking for more podiums later this month at the world championships in Lahti, Finland.
Ted-Jan Bloemen, Speed Skating Age: 30
Hometown: Calgary The Skinny: Stuck way down the depth chart on the Netherlands skating team, Bloemen didn’t even qualify for the 2014 Sochi Games. The transplanted Dutch athlete moved to Canada later that year — he is a dual citizen through his father — and started anew under coach Bart Schouten. The change of scenery proved magical, with Bloemen setting a new world record last season in the 10,000 metres and winning four medals in just three World Cup appearances in 2015-16. After a slow start to the 2016-17 campaign, Bloemen won World Cup gold last weekend in the 5,000 metres.