NEW WAVE RISING OVER CANADIAN SHORT-TRACK
Olympic trials put a spotlight on the next generation
The rebuild is in full swing for Canada’s short-track speedskating team and a new wave of Olympians looks ready to contend.
Four of six skaters named to the provisional team for the PyeongChang Games are firsttime Olympians: Samuel Girard of Ferland-et-Boilleau, Que.;
Kim Boutin of Sherbrooke, Que.; Jamie Macdonald from Fort
St. James, B.C.; and Kasandra Bradette of Saint-Felicien, Que.
They claimed their spots during five days of heated competition at the Olympic trials in Montreal, which wrapped Sunday.
“It hasn’t really hit me yet it seems, but I’ve faced so many challenges over the years that this feels like a great accomplishment … which makes me emotional just mentioning it,” Bradette, 27, said.
“I’ve now accomplished what I thought I would never accomplish over all those years in speedskating. For a long time, the Olympics were just a distant dream for me. But these last four years, I’ve realized that I belonged there and that I needed to show it.”
The only veterans on the squad so far are 33-year-old Charles Hamelin of Sainte-Julie, Que., who made his fourth Olympic team and will look to add to his total of four medals, and 26-yearold Charle Cournoyer of Boucherville, Que., who won a bronze in Sochi in 2014 in his Olympic debut.
Another four will be added to the squad when it is fleshed out officially on Aug. 30. A skater seeking a bye and a discretionary pick will be added to each of the men’s and women’s teams.
Likely candidates to make the women’s squad are veterans Valerie Maltais and Marianne St-Gelais, who will be seeking byes from Speed Skating Canada. St-Gelais fell in training and missed the entire trials, while Maltais fell during the trials and withdrew last week. Both suffered concussion symptoms and were advised not to compete further.
From start to finish of the 10-day event in Montreal, Girard and Boutin were the stars of the show, which bodes well for Speed Skating Canada. Team leaders Hamelin and St-Gelais have both declared PyeongChang will be their final Olympics and it appears the new wave is ready to fill the void.
Girard and Boutin clinched their Olympic berths on Saturday, a day before anyone else. Over the entire event, Boutin won eight of her nine races. Girard won seven of nine overall, topping off his tour de force with a win in the 500 metres on Sunday and a second-place finish in the 1,000 metres.
“I think it hasn’t really hit me yet,” Girard said, “but the Olympics are the dream of every amateur athlete and going there means I’ve reached my objective. And now, we’ll go out and perform over there.”