Olympic Roundup: Rise of Girard, Boutin puts short-track future in good hands
PYEONGCHANG, Korea, Republic Of — The torch has been passed.
As Charles Hamelin and Marianne St-Gelais wrap up their Olympic careers at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games, they can rest assured Canada’s successful short-track speedskating program is in good hands with rising stars Samuel Girard and Kim Boutin taking over.
The youth movement continued Saturday. Girard raced to gold in the men’s 1,000 metres — the only Olympic short-track event in which Hamelin doesn’t own a medal — while Boutin earned her second bronze of the Games in the women’s 1,500.
Hamelin and St-Gelais, competing in their last Olympics, didn’t figure into Saturday’s medal races. St-Gelais was eliminated in her 1,500 semifinal after incurring a penalty in a second straight race, while Hamelin’s disqualification in the 1,000 semi actually advanced Girard into the final.