Charles Hamelin
Encyclopedia
Charles Hamelin is a Canadian
short track speed skater
from Sainte-Julie, Quebec
. Hamelin is a 3 time Olympic medalist having won 2 gold and 1 silver during the 2006
and 2010 Winter Olympics
. He is also a 2 time world champion over the 500 m distance, having won those championships in 2007 and 2009.
Hamelin broke into success early at the 2003 World Junior Short Track Championships where he won silver medals in the 500 m and the 1500 m races, following up with a bronze in the 2000 m relay. He built on this success at 2005 World Championships
, there he won a gold in the 5000 m relay and a silver in the 500 m. His success continued at the worlds by winning gold in the 3000 m, gold in the 5000 m relay and bronze in the 1000 m at the 2006 World Championships
. He finished 4th place at the 2006 Winter Olympics
in the 1500 m event but received a silver medal as part of the men's 5000 m relay squad. Hamelin is the current world record holder in the 1000 m.
Short track is a family affair for Hamelin, his brother François Hamelin
is a fellow Olympian and national short track member. The current director of the national short track team is his father, Yves Hamelin. Hamelin made Hello Canada's 50 most beautiful Canadians list in 2010.
and Éric Bédard
.
Hamelin made his World Cup debut in the 2003-2004 season his junior career. His main role on the team at that time was on the relay team which finished the season second overall. Going into the 2004 World Championships
, the Canadian Men's relay team was considered one of the favourites but only managed a fourth place finish.
The 2004-2005 season was a breakout year for Hamelin. This was the first year that he skated every event in the World Cup. He finished third overall in the 500 m, 4th in the 1000 m, 5th in the 1500 m, and 5th overall on the season. He continued to skate on the relay team which finished 1st in the final standings. The real success of his season would come at the 2005 World Championships
. He managed a silver in the 500 m and two 4th place finishes in the 1000 m and 3000 m. This allowed him to finish fourth overall in the standings.
During the 2006 Winter Olympics, Hamelin managed to qualify for the finals of the 1500 m. In the last lap and a half, he was comfortably in third place before being passed by two Chinese skaters. Although one of the Chinese skaters was disqualified, he still only finished a disappointing fourth. In the relay the Canadian team and Korean team traded the lead back and forth throughout the race but the Canadian's lost the lead on the last turn but still managed to win silver. The silver medal on the relay was his first Olympic medal in his career.
Following the 2006 Olympics Hamelin won the gold medal in the 3000 m at the 2006 Championships
. Hamelin would go on to become the 500 m world champion in 2007, over the next 3 years this would soon be his strongest event. He captured silver at the worlds in 2008 and in 2009 he once again became the 500 m world champion.
He began the 2010 Olympics in the second 1500 m heat, there Hamelin placed second by 0.001 of a second to China
's Liang Wenhao
. Due to the fact he only placed second in the heats Hamelin was drawn into a tough group for the semifinals, needing to beat one of the two favourites, Lee Jung-Su
or Apolo Ohno, to qualify for the final. Hamelin was in second for much of the race with Jung-Su in the lead, but on the lap last was passed by Ohno and finished third. Only the top two qualified for the A-Final and Hamelin was thus relegated to the B-Final where he finished in first place. When asked about the race Hamelin said "It was a really tough field, and I'm not disappointed with the races I had . . . I'll sleep well tonight".
During the 1000 m heats, Hamelin placed first, the result duplicating into the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Hamelin placed second behind Apolo Ohno, and was nearly pushed by Korea
's Sung Si-Bak
, who trailed him by 0.006 seconds, and avoided a disqualification. The final race, which held five skaters, included his younger brother. For three-quarters of the race, he stood in first position in front of François Hamelin and Apolo Ohno, only to be surpassed by Korea's Lee Ho-Suk
in the sixth lap. Hamelin fell into third on the following lap, unable to sustain the high speeds much longer. The final lap saw Ohno move to third, leaving Charles and François in fourth and fifth, respectively. During the race the crowd at the Pacific Coliseum
was cheering so loudly during the 1,000 m final that Hamelin felt an overwhelming sense of pride like never before, "It was amazing", he said. Despite the amazing crowd support, Hamelin remained disappointed as he had gone to the Olympics with a mind to win multiple medals.
Next up for Hamelin was his best and most promising event, the 500 m race
, Hamelin took the gold medal, with teammate François-Louis Tremblay
winning the bronze. It was a close race as the world record holder Korea's Sung Si-Bak
was in the lead until a slip in the final corner, which allowed Hamelin to pass to finish first. The same night, the Canadian team won the gold in the 5000 m relay
. Hamelin shared that gold with his brother François, as well as Tremblay, Olivier Jean
and Guillaume Bastille
. Of his final and relieving success on the last day of short track at the Olympics, Hamelin said that "They will be going crazy in Quebec, they will be going crazy in Montreal, party all night. I got two gold medals in 30 minutes and it's incredible."
that had to be considered a disappointment for him as he failed to medal in any event. Hamelin did succeed in winning a silver at the 2010 World Team Championships
.
Prior to going into the 2010-11 season Hamelin said he was using the year to focus on new techniques for Sochi 2014
, while not worrying about winning as much during the current season. Hamelin specifically said that "My goal is to try new strategies to make myself more dangerous for 2014...Now it's not to win medals, but to work on things that are difficult mentally — to put myself in situations where I'm not always in control, so that even if I'm last, I won't panic and do stupid things." Hamelin was mostly focusing on trying to medal in the longer distances, though he has been dominant in the 500 m the South Koreans have continued to own the longer distances, something Hamelin hoped to change. Despite a quiet year on the World Cup, Hamelin finished the 2011 World Championships
with a gold in the relay and three silvers, including a second place overall finish. These medals saw an achievement in Hamelin's preseason goals of finding ways to win podium positions in the longer distances again.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
short track speed skater
Short track speed skating
Short track speed skating is a form of competitive ice speed skating. In competitions, multiple skaters skate on an oval ice track with a circumference of 111.12 m...
from Sainte-Julie, Quebec
Sainte-Julie, Quebec
Sainte-Julie , is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada, east of Montreal in the Regional County Municipality of Lajemmerais. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 29,079. Ste. Julie was named the best town to live in, in Québec for 2009...
. Hamelin is a 3 time Olympic medalist having won 2 gold and 1 silver during the 2006
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
and 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
. He is also a 2 time world champion over the 500 m distance, having won those championships in 2007 and 2009.
Hamelin broke into success early at the 2003 World Junior Short Track Championships where he won silver medals in the 500 m and the 1500 m races, following up with a bronze in the 2000 m relay. He built on this success at 2005 World Championships
2005 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships
The 2005 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships took place between March 9 and March 11, 2005, in Beijing, China. The World Championships are organised by the ISU which also run world cups and championships in speed skating and figure skating.-Men:...
, there he won a gold in the 5000 m relay and a silver in the 500 m. His success continued at the worlds by winning gold in the 3000 m, gold in the 5000 m relay and bronze in the 1000 m at the 2006 World Championships
2006 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships
The 2006 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships took place between March 29 and March 31, 2006, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The World Championships are organised by the ISU which also run world cups and championships in speed skating and figure skating....
. He finished 4th place at the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
in the 1500 m event but received a silver medal as part of the men's 5000 m relay squad. Hamelin is the current world record holder in the 1000 m.
Short track is a family affair for Hamelin, his brother François Hamelin
François Hamelin
François Hamelin is a Canadian short track speed skater from Sainte-Julie, Quebec, currently residing in Montreal. He is the younger brother of acclaimed Canadian short tracker Charles Hamelin...
is a fellow Olympian and national short track member. The current director of the national short track team is his father, Yves Hamelin. Hamelin made Hello Canada's 50 most beautiful Canadians list in 2010.
Junior accomplishments
Hamelin made his debut at the world junior championships in 2002, finishing 4th in the 500 m and helping the relay team to a silver medal. During the next World Junior Championships in 2003, he had his breakout year finishing second in the 500 m, second in the 1500 m, 4th in the 1000 m, 5th in the super 1500 m, and then helping the relay team to a bronze in the 5000 m relay. Because of his accomplishments in 2003 he finished 4th overall at the world junior championships. He was seemingly following the footsteps in a long line of accomplished French-Canadian short track speedskaters like Marc GagnonMarc Gagnon
Marc Gagnon is a French Canadian short track speed skater. He is a four-time Overall World Champion for 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1998, and winner of three Olympic gold medals....
and Éric Bédard
Éric Bédard
Éric Bédard is a Canadian short track speed skater who has won 4 Olympic medals . He participated in three individual events at the 2006 Winter Olympics and finished fourth in the 500 meters. He also led a team into the 5000 meter relay, winning the silver medal...
.
2006 Winter Olympics
Leading up to the 2006 Winter Olympics2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
Hamelin made his World Cup debut in the 2003-2004 season his junior career. His main role on the team at that time was on the relay team which finished the season second overall. Going into the 2004 World Championships
2004 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships
The 2004 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships took place between March 17 and March 19, 2004 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The World Championships are organised by the ISU which also run world cups and championships in speed skating and figure skating.-Men:...
, the Canadian Men's relay team was considered one of the favourites but only managed a fourth place finish.
The 2004-2005 season was a breakout year for Hamelin. This was the first year that he skated every event in the World Cup. He finished third overall in the 500 m, 4th in the 1000 m, 5th in the 1500 m, and 5th overall on the season. He continued to skate on the relay team which finished 1st in the final standings. The real success of his season would come at the 2005 World Championships
2005 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships
The 2005 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships took place between March 9 and March 11, 2005, in Beijing, China. The World Championships are organised by the ISU which also run world cups and championships in speed skating and figure skating.-Men:...
. He managed a silver in the 500 m and two 4th place finishes in the 1000 m and 3000 m. This allowed him to finish fourth overall in the standings.
During the 2006 Winter Olympics, Hamelin managed to qualify for the finals of the 1500 m. In the last lap and a half, he was comfortably in third place before being passed by two Chinese skaters. Although one of the Chinese skaters was disqualified, he still only finished a disappointing fourth. In the relay the Canadian team and Korean team traded the lead back and forth throughout the race but the Canadian's lost the lead on the last turn but still managed to win silver. The silver medal on the relay was his first Olympic medal in his career.
Following the 2006 Olympics Hamelin won the gold medal in the 3000 m at the 2006 Championships
2006 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships
The 2006 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships took place between March 29 and March 31, 2006, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The World Championships are organised by the ISU which also run world cups and championships in speed skating and figure skating....
. Hamelin would go on to become the 500 m world champion in 2007, over the next 3 years this would soon be his strongest event. He captured silver at the worlds in 2008 and in 2009 he once again became the 500 m world champion.
2010 Winter Olympics
Hamelin competed in all four events and is a medal favourite in all of the 500, 1000, 1500, and 5000 metre relay. Going in to the Olympics, he was the reigning 500 m world champion and reigning World Cup champion. As such Hamelin was the gold medal favourite going into the 2010 Games in his home country.He began the 2010 Olympics in the second 1500 m heat, there Hamelin placed second by 0.001 of a second to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
's Liang Wenhao
Liang Wenhao
Liang Wenhao is a Chinese male short track speed skater. He represented China at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.-References:...
. Due to the fact he only placed second in the heats Hamelin was drawn into a tough group for the semifinals, needing to beat one of the two favourites, Lee Jung-Su
Lee Jung-Su
Lee Jung-Su is a South Korean short track speed skater. He is a two-time Olympic Champion from 2010 Winter Olympics....
or Apolo Ohno, to qualify for the final. Hamelin was in second for much of the race with Jung-Su in the lead, but on the lap last was passed by Ohno and finished third. Only the top two qualified for the A-Final and Hamelin was thus relegated to the B-Final where he finished in first place. When asked about the race Hamelin said "It was a really tough field, and I'm not disappointed with the races I had . . . I'll sleep well tonight".
During the 1000 m heats, Hamelin placed first, the result duplicating into the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Hamelin placed second behind Apolo Ohno, and was nearly pushed by Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
's Sung Si-Bak
Sung Si-Bak
Sung Si-Bak is a South Korean short track speed skater. At the 2007 Winter Universiade, he won all five short track speed skating events. Sung has won more than 20 World Cup races and earned two World Cup titles, in addition to skating on the winning World Championship 5000 m relay teams in...
, who trailed him by 0.006 seconds, and avoided a disqualification. The final race, which held five skaters, included his younger brother. For three-quarters of the race, he stood in first position in front of François Hamelin and Apolo Ohno, only to be surpassed by Korea's Lee Ho-Suk
Lee Ho-Suk
Lee Ho-Suk is a South Korean short track speedskater. He won an Olympic gold medal as a part of 5000m Short-track relay team and won four Olympic silver medals. He is the Overall World Champion for 2009 and 2010.-Career:...
in the sixth lap. Hamelin fell into third on the following lap, unable to sustain the high speeds much longer. The final lap saw Ohno move to third, leaving Charles and François in fourth and fifth, respectively. During the race the crowd at the Pacific Coliseum
Pacific Coliseum
Pacific Coliseum is an indoor arena, at Hastings Park, in Vancouver, British Columbia.Completed in 1968, at the former site of the Pacific National Exhibition, the arena currently holds 16,281, for ice hockey, though capacity at its opening was 15,713....
was cheering so loudly during the 1,000 m final that Hamelin felt an overwhelming sense of pride like never before, "It was amazing", he said. Despite the amazing crowd support, Hamelin remained disappointed as he had gone to the Olympics with a mind to win multiple medals.
Next up for Hamelin was his best and most promising event, the 500 m race
Short track speed skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Men's 500 metres
The men's 500 metres in short track speed skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics was held 24–26 February 2010 at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada....
, Hamelin took the gold medal, with teammate François-Louis Tremblay
François-Louis Tremblay
François-Louis Tremblay is a Canadian short track speed skater and five-time Olympic medalist who competed at the 2002, 2006, and 2010 Winter Olympics....
winning the bronze. It was a close race as the world record holder Korea's Sung Si-Bak
Sung Si-Bak
Sung Si-Bak is a South Korean short track speed skater. At the 2007 Winter Universiade, he won all five short track speed skating events. Sung has won more than 20 World Cup races and earned two World Cup titles, in addition to skating on the winning World Championship 5000 m relay teams in...
was in the lead until a slip in the final corner, which allowed Hamelin to pass to finish first. The same night, the Canadian team won the gold in the 5000 m relay
Short track speed skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Men's 5000 metre relay
The men's 5000 metre relay in short track speed skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics began on 17 February, and ended on 26 February at the Pacific Coliseum.-Semifinals:-Final B :-Final A :-External links:...
. Hamelin shared that gold with his brother François, as well as Tremblay, Olivier Jean
Olivier Jean
Olivier Jean is a Canadian short track speed skater from Lachenaie, Quebec currently residing in Montreal. He is a well known figure for his dreadlocks and for listening to reggae which he says makes him skate faster.Jean skates in every distance for the Canadian team and is a member of the...
and Guillaume Bastille
Guillaume Bastille
Guillaume Bastille is a Canadian short track speed skater from Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec.He competed at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver in the men's 1500 metre short track and the men's 5000 metre relay competitions...
. Of his final and relieving success on the last day of short track at the Olympics, Hamelin said that "They will be going crazy in Quebec, they will be going crazy in Montreal, party all night. I got two gold medals in 30 minutes and it's incredible."
Road to Sochi 2014
Following the Olympics, Hamelin attended the 2010 World Championships2010 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships
The 2010 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships took place between March 19 and March 21, 2010 in Sofia, Bulgaria. The World Championships are organised by the ISU which also run world cups and championships in speed skating and figure skating.-Men:...
that had to be considered a disappointment for him as he failed to medal in any event. Hamelin did succeed in winning a silver at the 2010 World Team Championships
World Short Track Speed Skating Team Championships
The World Short Track Speed Skating Team Championships are a professional team short track speed skating event and held once a year in a different country.Top 8 countries from Short Track World Cup Series qualify automatically...
.
Prior to going into the 2010-11 season Hamelin said he was using the year to focus on new techniques for Sochi 2014
2014 Winter Olympics
The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially the XXII Olympic Winter Games, or the 22nd Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event scheduled to be celebrated from 7 to 23 February 2014, in Sochi, Russia with some events held in the resort town of Krasnaya Polyana. Both the Olympic and...
, while not worrying about winning as much during the current season. Hamelin specifically said that "My goal is to try new strategies to make myself more dangerous for 2014...Now it's not to win medals, but to work on things that are difficult mentally — to put myself in situations where I'm not always in control, so that even if I'm last, I won't panic and do stupid things." Hamelin was mostly focusing on trying to medal in the longer distances, though he has been dominant in the 500 m the South Koreans have continued to own the longer distances, something Hamelin hoped to change. Despite a quiet year on the World Cup, Hamelin finished the 2011 World Championships
2011 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships
The 2011 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships took place between March 11 and March 13, 2011 at Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, England...
with a gold in the relay and three silvers, including a second place overall finish. These medals saw an achievement in Hamelin's preseason goals of finding ways to win podium positions in the longer distances again.