Short track speedskating great Nathalie Lambert has been named the chef de mission for the 2010 Canadian Olympic team.

The 44-year-old from Montreal will be the team's official leader and a key member of the overall co-ordinating team for Canada's participation in the Vancouver Games, the Canadian Olympic Committee announced Monday.

"I am thrilled to be part of this team," Lambert said. "I feel touched that I am going to be part of this team. I think we are going to inspire Canadians."

Lambert, who was the assistant chef de mission at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, was Canada's flag-bearer at the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, where she won gold in the 3,000-metre relay.

She also captured two silver medals at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, as well as a bronze at the 1988 Calgary Games, where short track was a demonstration event.

A seven-time world championship gold medallist and a member of both the Canadian Olympic Association Hall of Fame and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, Lambert's speedskating career ended in late 1997 when she suffered a broken ankle during competition.

With files from the Canadian Press