The day after the Canadian men's short-track speedskating team was shut out of a winning medal in the 1,000 metres, Charles Hamelin and Francois-Louis Tremblay entered a ping-pong tournament in the athletes' village.
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Last chance for Canadian men to reach short-track podium
- February 25, 2010 9:37 PM |
- By Michael Traikos
Story provided by
VANCOUVER -- The day after the Canadian men's short-track speedskating team was shut out of a winning medal in the 1,000 metres, Charles Hamelin and Francois-Louis Tremblay entered a ping-pong tournament in the athletes' village.
It was a chance for the athletes to free their minds from the previous night's disappointment. Relax. Have fun. Blow off a little steam.
That was the idea, of course.
But when the Canadians stepped up to the table, it soon became clear that they came to win. Hamelin says he took down a couple of long-track speedskaters. And Tremblay, who previously defeated Sidney Crosby in straight sets, won the entire thing.
"He's really good," said Hamelin. "No one can beat him."
Hamelin might have been speaking about Tremblay's prowess in ping-pong. But no one would be surprised if the same is said of the Canadian team after Friday night's 5,000-metre relay and 500-metre final.
Put simply, having watched the women already win a bronze and silver, this is the men's last chance to shine.
"We know that we can do it," said Canadian coach Derrick Campbell. "We've been strongest in the 500 metres. We expect to have a good day."
Hamelin, of Ste-Julie, Que., is the No. 1-ranked skater in the world in the individual sprint. Tremblay, of Montreal, who won a silver medal in the 2006 Olympics, is ranked second. And the always-unpredictable Olivier Jean of Lachenaie, Que., is 10th.
Having two skaters on the podium is a possibility. Having one would meet expectations. Having none would be an utter disaster, especially after the team's failures in the 1,500 metres and 1,000 metres.
"We're a sprint team," said Campbell. "This is what we do."
On Wednesday, the team backed up that assertion in the 500-metre qualifications. Hamelin smoked his opening heat with an Olympic-record time of 41.463 seconds. Two heats later and Tremblay skated an even faster 41.397. Olivier, meanwhile, qualified by keeping up with seven-time Olympic medallist Apolo Anton Ohno of the U.S.
"If you're good enough to put on a Canadian uniform," said U.S. team leader Jack Mortell, "then you're good enough to win a medal. It's that simple. They're that good."
So far, however, they have not been good enough to land on the podium.
Jean was the only Canadian skater to reach the six-man 1,500-metre final, where he finished last. And though there were two Hamelins -- Charles and his brother Francois -- in the five-man 1,000-metre final, both left empty-handed.
"At this point, I'm disappointed that they don't have a medal," said U.S. assistant coach Jimmy Jang. "We already have three medals and the Koreans have three. This is very unusual for the Canadian team."
Of course, in a sport as strange as short track, the unusual tends to be a race where the best skater wins.
In the men's 1,500-metre final, Ohno and teammate J.R. Celski finished second and third, respectively, after two Koreans crashed into each other on the last turn of the last lap. In the women's 3,000-metre relay, Canada traded in a bronze medal for silver after the winning team from Korea was disqualified for blocking moments after crossing the finish line. China ended up with the gold.
So while Canada might have the horses to win big Friday night -- the relay team is also ranked second in the world -- it will still come down to execution.
"We know that our guys are fast enough to be in the final," said team leader Yves Hamelin. "But in short track, you never know."
Added Tremblay: "It's always hard to expect what's going to happen, who's going to come up strong that day ... but I'm aiming for gold, of course."
If Canada is to win an individual gold, some believe Tremblay -- not Hamelin -- will get it. The 29-year-old plays to win, whether he is on the ping-pong court or on the ice. And with this potentially being his last Olympics, many expect he will be extra motivated to go out on top.
"This is Charles' distance," said Jang, "but Tremblay worries me more than Charles. He's the second fastest in the word. I have a lot of respect for him."
About the Author
- Bruce Arthur Bruce Arthur is the National Post's national sports columnist. A Vancouver native, he has been with the Post since 2001, and a columnist since 2005. He is covering his second Olympics, after the 2008 Games in Beijing. He expects these Games to be slightly less propagandistic, and for China to win slightly fewer medals.
- Joe O'Connor Joe O'Connor is a roving sports feature writer with an open-ended beat. He joined the National Post in 2002, and has spent the past seven years bouncing from sport to sport, offering fresh perspectives and delivering unique stories wherever he goes. Whether it has been getting Don Cherry to open up about his love life; George Chuvalo to talk about heartbreaking loss; or racing down the side of a mountain with former Crazy Canuck, Dave Irwin, the veteran Postie chases a story wherever it leads. Before joining the newspaper he was a two-time silver medalist at the National Magazine Awards. Vancouver will be his first Olympics.
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