Charles Hamelin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Charles Hamelin

Personal information
Born	(1984-04-14) April 14, 1984 (age 41) Lévis, Quebec, Canada
Height	1.75 m
Weight	71 kg
Sport
Country	Canada
Sport	Short track speed skating
Club	Les Fines Lames de Ste-Julie
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	500 m: 40.091 (2016) 1000 m: 1:21.961 (2012) 1500 m: 2:09.098 (2011) 3000 m: 4:38.905 (2002)
Medal record Men's short track speed skating Representing  Canada Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 4 1 1 World Championships 14 14 14 World Team Championships 2 4 0 Olympic Games Gold 2010 Vancouver 500 m Gold 2010 Vancouver 5000 m relay Gold 2014 Sochi 1500 m Gold 2022 Beijing 5000 m relay Silver 2006 Turin 5000 m relay Bronze 2018 Pyeongchang 5000 m relay World Championships Gold 2005 Beijing 5000 m relay Gold 2006 Minneapolis 3000 m Gold 2006 Minneapolis 5000 m relay Gold 2007 Milan 500 m Gold 2009 Vienna 500 m Gold 2011 Sheffield 5000 m relay Gold 2012 Shanghai 5000 m relay Gold 2013 Debrecen 5000 m relay Gold 2014 Montreal 1500 m Gold 2016 Seoul 1000 m Gold 2018 Montreal Overall Gold 2018 Montreal 1000 m Gold 2018 Montreal 1500 m Gold 2021 Dordrecht 1500 m Silver 2005 Beijing 500 m Silver 2007 Milan Overall Silver 2007 Milan 1000 m Silver 2007 Milan 5000 m relay Silver 2008 Gangneung 500 m Silver 2008 Gangneung 5000 m relay Silver 2011 Sheffield Overall Silver 2011 Sheffield 1000m Silver 2011 Sheffield 1500m Silver 2012 Shanghai 500 m Silver 2015 Moscow 1000 m Silver 2016 Seoul Overall Silver 2016 Seoul 5000 m relay Silver 2018 Montreal 5000 m relay Bronze 2006 Minneapolis 1000 m Bronze 2009 Vienna Overall Bronze 2009 Vienna 3000 m Bronze 2012 Shanghai 1000 m Bronze 2013 Debrecen Overall Bronze 2013 Debrecen 1000 m Bronze 2013 Debrecen 1500 m Bronze 2013 Debrecen 3000 m Bronze 2014 Montreal Overall Bronze 2014 Montreal 500 m Bronze 2015 Moscow 1500 m Bronze 2016 Seoul 3000 m Bronze 2017 Rotterdam 1000 m Bronze 2022 Montreal 5000 m relay World Team Championships Gold 2005 Chuncheon Team Gold 2007 Budapest Team Silver 2006 Montreal Team Silver 2008 Harbin Team Silver 2009 Heerenveen Team Silver 2010 Bormio Team

Charles Hamelin (born April 14, 1984) is a Canadian retired short track speed skater. He competed for almost 20 years on the international stage. Hamelin took part in five Winter Olympic Games. These were in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022. He won six Olympic medals, including a Canadian record of four gold medals.

Hamelin competed in all distances in short track speed skating. He earned 38 medals at the World Championships. This included 14 gold medals. He also helped Canada win five world relay titles. Hamelin was the 2014 Overall World Cup season winner. He also became the 2018 Overall World Champion. This means he achieved every major award in his sport.

Hamelin first found success at the 2003 World Junior Championships. He won silver medals in the 500 m and 1500 m races. He also earned a bronze in the 5000 m relay. After joining the senior team, he won two medals at the 2005 World Championships. One of these was his first World gold in the 5000 m relay. In his first Olympics in 2006, he finished fourth in the 1500 m. He then won a silver medal with the Canadian relay team.

He won his first two Olympic gold medals in Vancouver in 2010. He then added two more, with his last gold coming in his final Olympic appearance in Beijing in 2022. Hamelin once held the world record in the 1000 m. He is known as the "Locomotive de Sainte-Julie". Many consider Charles Hamelin one of Canada's greatest athletes.

Charles Hamelin's Skating Journey

Starting as a Junior Skater

Hamelin first competed at the World Junior Championships in 2002. He placed fourth in the 500 m race. His relay team also won a silver medal. In 2003, he had a great year at the World Junior Championships. He finished second in both the 500 m and 1500 m. He also helped the relay team win a bronze medal in the 5000 m relay. These achievements led him to finish fourth overall at the junior championships. People saw him following in the footsteps of famous French-Canadian speed skaters.

Early Senior Career and First Olympics

Hamelin joined the World Cup circuit in the 2003–2004 season. At first, he mainly focused on the relay team. The team finished second overall that season. In 2004, the Canadian men's relay team was a favorite at the World Championships. However, they finished in fourth place.

The 2004–2005 season was a big year for Hamelin. He started competing in every event in the World Cup. He finished third overall in the 500 m and fourth in the 1000 m. He also placed fifth in the 1500 m and fifth overall for the season. His relay team continued to do well, finishing first in the standings. His biggest success came at the 2005 World Championships. He won a silver medal in the 500 m. He also finished fourth overall in the championships. That year, he helped the Canadian team win a gold medal at the World Team Championships.

Hamelin joined the Canadian Olympic team for the 2006 Winter Olympics. He made it to the final of the 1500 m race. He was in third place near the end but was passed by two Chinese skaters. Even though one skater was disqualified, he still finished fourth. In the relay race, Canada and Korea battled for the lead. Canada lost the lead at the last turn but still won a silver medal. This was Hamelin's first Olympic medal.

After the 2006 Olympics, Hamelin won a gold medal in the 3000 m at the 2006 World Championships. He became the 500 m world champion in 2007. This event became his strongest over the next three years. At the 2007 Worlds, he also won silver medals in the 1000 m and 5000 m relay. He earned the overall silver medal too. He won another gold at the World Team Championships that year. In 2008, he took silvers in the 500 m at the Worlds and the World Team Championships. In 2009, he won the 500 m world championship again. He also earned bronzes in the 3000 m and the overall competition. He added another World Team silver medal.

Vancouver 2010: Home Olympics

The 2010 Winter Olympics were held in Vancouver, Canada. Expectations were very high for Canadian athletes. Hamelin was expected to win medals in the 500 m, 1000 m, 1500 m, and 5000 m relay. He was the current 500 m world champion and World Cup champion. This made him a top favorite for gold medals at his home Olympics.

Hamelin started the Vancouver Olympics in the 1500 m heat. He finished second by a tiny margin. This placed him in a tough semi-final group. He needed to beat rivals like Lee Jung-Su or Apolo Ohno to reach the final. Hamelin was in second for most of the race. But Ohno passed him on the last lap, and Hamelin finished third. Only the top two went to the A-Final. Hamelin ended up in the B-Final, where he finished first. He said he was not disappointed, as it was a very tough race.

In the 1000 m heats, Hamelin finished first. He continued this into the quarterfinals. In the semi-finals, he placed second behind Apolo Ohno. The final race had five skaters, including his younger brother. Hamelin led for most of the race. But Lee Ho-Suk of Korea passed him on the sixth lap. Hamelin then fell to third place. The crowd at the Pacific Coliseum cheered very loudly during the final. Hamelin called it "amazing." Despite the support, he was disappointed. He had hoped to win multiple medals.

Next was Hamelin's best event, the 500 m race. Hamelin won the gold medal. His teammate François-Louis Tremblay took the bronze. It was a close race. The world record holder, Sung Si-Bak of Korea, was leading. But he slipped in the final corner, allowing Hamelin to pass and win. On the same night, the Canadian team won gold in the 5000 m relay. Hamelin shared this gold with his brother François, Tremblay, Olivier Jean, and Guillaume Bastille. Hamelin was thrilled with his success. He said, "I got two gold medals in 30 minutes, and it's incredible."

Hamelin kisses former girlfriend and fellow National team speed skater Marianne St-Gelais after winning the gold medal.

Journey to Sochi

After the Vancouver Olympics, Hamelin competed at the 2010 World Championships. He did not win any medals there. He did win a silver at the 2010 World Team Championships.

Before the 2010–11 season, Hamelin said he would focus on new techniques for the 2014 Winter Olympics. He was not worried about winning as much that season. He wanted to try new strategies to become more dangerous for 2014. He aimed to work on difficult mental situations. He wanted to avoid panicking even if he was in last place. Hamelin focused on winning medals in longer distances. South Koreans had dominated these events, and Hamelin wanted to change that. Despite a quiet World Cup year, Hamelin did well at the 2011 World Championships. He won a gold in the relay and three silvers. This included a second-place overall finish. This showed progress in his goals.

Hamelin had good results during the 2012 season. He dealt with several small injuries. He continued his success into the World Championships. There, he won a silver medal in the 500 m, behind his teammate Jean. He then won a bronze in the 1000 m. Hamelin was injured in a fall and did not race in the men's relay final. However, he still received a gold medal for his earlier participation in the semi-final.

Sochi 2014: Another Gold

Hamelin was part of his third Canadian Olympic team for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. He reached the final of the 1500 m. His brother made the B final of the same event. In the 1500 m final, Hamelin quickly moved to the front of the seven-man group. He held that lead for most of the race. Near the end, China's Han Tianyu and Russia's Viktor Ahn challenged his lead. But Hamelin passed Han and held on to win the gold medal. This was Canada's second gold medal at the Sochi Olympics. The 1500 m was often seen as a weaker event for Hamelin and the Canadians. He was very proud of this gold. He said it was the best he could dream of. He had worked hard to prove people wrong. He had a strong overall season. He won his first overall World Cup title after being close many times before.

Pyeongchang 2018 and World Champion Title

In August 2017, Hamelin was chosen for Canada's 2018 Winter Olympics team. This was his fourth Olympics. The individual events in Pyeongchang were disappointing for Hamelin. Penalties removed him from the 500 m and 1000 m early on. He also received a penalty in the 1500 m final. He finished the Games in the 5000 m relay. The Canadian team won a bronze medal, which was his fifth Olympic medal.

He recovered from the Olympics to win his first ever World Championship overall title. He won gold in the 1000 m and 1500 m events. He also took silver in the men's relay in Montreal, his home city. He was the first Canadian man since Marc Gagnon 20 years earlier to win the Overall World Championship. Many expected Hamelin to retire after the 2017–18 season. But he surprised everyone by saying he would continue for at least another year.

Final Olympics in Beijing 2022

Hamelin had planned to retire earlier. But in 2019, he announced he would continue until the 2022 Winter Olympics. This decision was partly because Samuel Girard unexpectedly retired. Girard was a gold medalist and part of the bronze relay team in Pyeongchang. He was seen as Hamelin's successor.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused many events to be canceled. This made Hamelin's training very difficult. He missed almost a year of on-ice training. But he and his team found other ways to stay in shape. They mostly trained separately. When he returned to major international championships, he won gold in the 1500 m. This was at the 2021 World Championships in Dordrecht.

In January 2022, Hamelin was named to his fifth and final Olympic team. He and hockey player Marie-Philip Poulin were chosen as Canada's flag bearers for the opening ceremony. Hamelin competed in only one individual event in Beijing. This was the 1500 m, where he was the reigning world champion. He was disqualified in the semi-final for an illegal lane change. His teammate Steven Dubois won the silver medal in that race.

The last Olympic event of Hamelin's career was the 5000 m relay. The Canadian team won the gold medal. This was Hamelin's fourth gold and sixth Olympic medal. He tied a record for most gold medals by a Canadian Olympian. He said it was hard to keep training for five Olympics. But he believed in himself. He felt it was a challenge to stay competitive, and he did it. He considered it the best win of his career.

After the Olympics, the 2022 World Championships were held in Montreal. This was expected to be Hamelin's last competition. He focused on the relay event. He hoped to win gold like at the Olympics. He said he loved what he did, which is why he kept going. The Canadian team finished third, winning the bronze medal. This was the 38th and final World Championship medal of Hamelin's career.

Personal Life

Speed skating is a family passion for Hamelin. His brother, François Hamelin, is also an Olympian and national short track team member. Their father, Yves Hamelin, used to be the director of the national short track team. In 2010, Hamelin was named one of Hello! Canada's 50 most beautiful Canadians. This was alongside his then-girlfriend, fellow speed skater and Olympian Marianne St-Gelais. In March 2018, after ten years together, Hamelin and St-Gelais announced they were separating.

Charles Hamelin is now engaged to sports journalist Geneviève Tardif. They have a daughter named Violette, who was born on April 23, 2020. They got engaged in the summer of 2019. Their wedding was planned for 2020 but was delayed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.