Canada's new speed skating stars bring intelligence to sport, says 5-time Olympian

Charles Hamelin is Canada's most decorated short track speed skater and believes those following in his grooves are primed to reach even higher highs.

What sets apart the nation's next generation of speed skaters, said the six-time Olympic medallist, is their intelligence.

"I was a good speed skater and I did a lot of good things, but I was more like 'I'm gonna go fast, I'm gonna go fast, and I'm going in front,’” he said. "And now they're really, really smart.

"I think that's the biggest evolution of the Canadian short track, being more adaptable in a race and skating smarter and being able to become a winner in different ways."

Hamelin capped his competitive career with his fourth Olympic gold in the men's 5,000-metre relay at the 2022 Beijing Games and remains intricately connected with the sport.

The five-time Olympian from Saint-Julie, Que., now coaches young Canadians in Montreal.

"They go way faster than I was going when I was skating at the end of my career," he said of the country's current contingent.

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"I was able to follow them at the end, and I was able to be with them. And I stepped on the ice with them two years after I retired — I knew I was going to be a drop-off, but the speed they can have, this speed they can go, and how long they can hold that speed, it's another level than I was able to do."

Canada won five short track medals at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.

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Courtney Sarault of Moncton, N.B., captured silver in the women's 1,000m, bronze in the