Charles Hamelin chasing more short-track speedskating glory into 2018

His other goal is the overall title at the world short-track championship, which goes to the skater who accumulates the most points over the 500, 1,000, 1,500 and 3,000 metres.

Hamelin finished second to China’s Han Tianyu this year in Seoul, South, Korea, for yet another runner-up finish. The Canadian has won individual distances at the world championships, but never the overall crown.

“I’ve finished second three times and third four times, so I’m kind of almost there, but I make a little mistake or I have bad luck,” Hamelin said Wednesday in Calgary.

“You need to be good in all four distances at the world championships. That is the most demanding competition in all of short track.

“At the Olympics, it’s distance by distance over 12 days. At worlds, it’s three days of competition. You need to be ready for anything over those three days. It’s the fittest guy in the world that will be the world champion.”

Hamelin’s next shot at the world title is March 10-12 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

He leads the host Canadian team into the season-opening World Cup starting Friday at the Olympic Oval in Calgary.

Hamelin’s partner Marianne St-Gelais of Saint-Felicien, Que., his brother Francois, Marie-Eve Drolet and Valerie Maltais of Saguenay, Que., and Charle Cournoyer of Boucherville, Que., are also Olympic medallists on Canada’s 12-member squad.

The Olympic Oval at the University of Calgary is the site of regular international and domestic long-track events because the national team is based there.

But this marks a rare trip to Calgary for Canada’s short-trackers based in Montreal. The last short-track World Cup in Calgary was in 2012.

The Calgary Oval wages a constant boast-battle with its Salt Lake City counterpart for the title of fastest ice in the world.

The opportunity to set world-record times in their home country excites the Canadian short-track team, who arrived a week out from Friday’s qualifying in order to adjust to a higher altitude.

“Getting here early is the key,” St-Gelais said. “We struggled at the beginning of the week. The training was really hard. The breathing was hard. We did hard training to adjust right away.

“We have to adjust a little bit and we have to adjust our blades too because the ice is different than in Montreal. But we love to be here we’re going to have world records for sure. For sure you’re going to see more passes and more falls because the ice is really fast.”

Athletes from 32 countries — 81 women and 105 men — will compete in the first of six World Cup events in 2016-17.

After Friday’s qualifying, the 1,500-metre and one 500-metre final is Saturday, followed by another 500, the 1,000 and team relays Sunday.

Canada will be aiming to collect a minimum of eight individual medals, four on the men’s side and four on the women’s side.

Hamelin says his body requires more care than it did a decade ago when he competed in his first Winter Games.

“Year after year, it’s a little more difficult to recover,” he said. “If you have a little injury, you will take a few days longer to make sure you’re healthy. You need to sleep better and eat better.”

The internal competition on the Canadian men’s team is what keeps him skating fast, he says.

“As the oldest guy on the team and I’m still number one in Canada right now, I’m going on the ice every day to stay where I am right now,” Hamelin said.

“Those young guys are there to beat me. I don’t want to be beaten by them and they want to beat me. It’s kind of a healthy battle.”

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Charles Hamelin chasing more short-track speedskating glory into 2018

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