Charles Hamelin wants to win the only thing he’s never won
It’s definitely almost spring because many winter sports are finishing up their seasons this weekend, including short track speed skating.
World Championships are being held in Moscow from Friday to Sunday. Veterans Charles Hamelin and Marianne St-Gelais headline a team mixed with Olympians and new talent.
Hamelin, a four-time Olympic medallist, has never won an overall world title in 12 straight appearances at Worlds. He was runner-up in 2007 and 2011, third place in 2009, 2013, and 2014. It takes a great deal of versatility to capture the title, skaters must do the 500m, 1000m, and 1500m individual races. Ranking points are added up and the top-eight athletes get to compete in the 3000m super final for more points.
“I am aiming for nothing less than being world champion,” said Hamelin in a release. “To be able to do that, I’ll have to be consistent and smart in my races, while avoiding being disqualified in order to get the maximum amount of points available.”
The last Canadian male world champion was five-time Olympic medallist Marc Gagnon in 1998.
A look at Charles Hamelin’s season
Competed in: All six World Cups
Individual or relay medals (8): 1 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze
Olympic champion Charles Hamelin of Canada gestures after the men’s 1,500 meters preliminaries at the World Cup short track speed skating championship in Dresden, Germany, Friday, Feb. 6, 2015. The ISU World Cup runs from Feb. 6 to Feb. 8. 2015. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)
Charles Hamelin from Canada warms up prior to competing in the men’s 500-metre event at the ISU World Cup Short Track Speedskating competition in Montreal, Sunday, November 16, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Olympic champion Victor An of Russia, right, crashes beside Olympic champion Charles Hamelin of Canada, left, during the men’s 1,000 meters semi final race at the World Cup short track speed skating championship in Dresden, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)
Winner Semen Elistratov of Russia, center, celebrates beside second placed Han Seungsoo of South Korea, left, and third placed Charles Hamelin of Cananda during the medal ceremony after the men’s 1,500 meters final race at the World Cup short track speed skating championship in Dresden, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)
Canadian Charles Hamelin crashes out of his 1,500-metre semifinal race at the ISU World Cup Short Track Speedskating competition in Montreal, Saturday, November 15, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
On the women’s side, Marianne St-Gelais has won eight individual medals this World Cup season. Her best finish at World Champs was fourth in 2013. “I needed to put my last few seasons behind me,” said St-Gelais. “This year, I found myself again as a skater. I learned to love racing again, to have fun in my races while still learning from them. For me, this is a great return to form!”
Five skaters will be World Champs rookies, including Genève Bélanger, Kim Boutin, Kasandra Bradette, Patrick Duffy, and Samuel Girard. That’s half the team. The others are Olympians Guillaume Bastille, Olivier Jean, last year’s third place finisher Valérie Maltais, plus Hamelin and St-Gelais.
A look at Marianne St-Gelais’ season
Competed in: All six World Cups
Individual or relay medals (12): 2 gold, 4 silver, 6 bronze
First-place finisher Fan Kexin Fan, center, of China; second-place Arianna Fontana, right, of Italy; and third-place Marianne St-Gelais, left, of Canada, celebrate with their medals following the women’s 500 meters at the World Cup short track speedskating event Sunday, Nov. 9, 2014, in Kearns, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Fan Kexin from China (9) skates to a first place finish ahead of Marianne St-Gelais from Canada during the women’s 500-metre final race at the ISU World Cup Short Track Speedskating competition in Montreal, Saturday, November 15, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Marianne St-Gelais from Canada waves to fans after finishing second in the women’s 500-metre final race at the ISU World Cup Short Track Speedskating competition in Montreal, Saturday, November 15, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Winner Kim Alang of South Korea, center, celebrates with second placed Fan Kexin of China, left, and third placed Marianne St-Gelais of Canada during the medal ceremony after the women’s 1,000 meter final race at the World Cup short track speed skating championship in Dresden, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)
