Charles Hamelin

Biography

With six Olympic medals, including four gold, Charles Hamelin is tied with Cindy Klassen as Canada’s most decorated Winter Olympian and tied with Andre De Grasse as Canada’s most decorated male Olympian. He is just the fourth Canadian Olympian (after hockey players Hayley Wickenheiser, Jayna Hefford, and Caroline Ouellette) to win four career gold medals. 

Hamelin capped his Olympic career at Beijing 2022, where he was given the honour of being Team Canada’s Opening Ceremony flag bearer (alongside Marie-Philip Poulin, captain of the women’s hockey team) in his fifth Olympic appearance. In his final Olympic race, he won a gold medal with the men’s 5000m relay team that also included Pascal Dion, Steven Dubois, Maxime Laoun and Jordan Pierre-Gilles. At 37 years old, Hamelin became the oldest ever Olympic medallist in short track speed skating. He was also the first male short track speed skater to win a medal in five different Olympic Games.

At PyeongChang 2018, Hamelin won bronze as a member of the 5000m relay. In his third Olympic appearance at Sochi 2014 Hamelin had won gold in the Games’ opening event, the 1500m. That came four years after Hamelin was Canada’s only multiple gold medallist at Vancouver 2010, contributing two of the country’s record-setting 14 first-place finishes. His performance was particularly remarkable because he won both gold medals within a 30-minute span.

As the reigning world champion in Vancouver, Hamelin set an Olympic record in the quarterfinals of the 500m. In the final, he avoided a collision on the last corner to take the gold medal, sharing the podium with teammate Tremblay who won bronze. A half hour later, Hamelin was back on the ice for the 5000m relay final. The Canadians won gold thanks to a strategy dubbed “Operation Cobra” which gave anchor skater Tremblay an extended period of rest before skating the last two laps. This put Hamelin on the top step of the podium together with his younger brother François.

Four years earlier, Hamelin had been the youngest of Canada’s male short track speed skaters competing at Turin 2006. He finished fourth in his only individual event, the 1500m, but won his first career Olympic medal, silver, as a member of the 5000m relay team.

Hamelin competed at the world championships for more than a decade and a half, winning 38 ISU World Championship medals. That includes 13 gold, five of which came in the 5000m relay. He also owns multiple world titles in each of the individual events (500m – 2007, 2009; 1000m – 2016, 2018; 1500m – 2014, 2018. 2021). He achieved a career highlight when he finally won the overall world title in 2018 in front of family and friends in Montreal. In the final race of his illustrious career, he won bronze with the 5000m relay in Montreal in April 2022. 

Hamelin had competed on the ISU World Cup circuit since the 2003-04 season. He accumulated 142 World Cup medals (58 gold, 42 silver, 42 bronze), of which 84 were won in individual distances. In 2009-10 and 2012-13 he was the overall World Cup champion in the 500m. In 2013-14 he was the overall World Cup champion in the 1000m and 1500m. 

A little more about Charles

Getting into the Sport: Started speed skating at age nine… Had previously played baseball but got involved in skating about a year after younger brother François (also a gold medalist with the Vancouver 2010 5000m relay team) got started in the sport because he thought it looked cool… Outside Interests: Enjoys playing video games, going to the movies.. Supports Canadian Tire Jumpstart so that all kids have the opportunity to find the passion for sport that he has… Odds and Ends: 10-time Speed Skating Canada’s Male Short Track Athlete of the Year… Lists Marc Gagnon and Éric Bédard among his role models… The rink in his hometown of Sainte-Julie was named in honour of him along with his brother and father, Yves…