Charles and François end memorable week with a win

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Charles and Francois are ecstatic after their wonderful week in Italy. The Canadian skaters dominated the 5000m relay event at Turin World Cup and completed their journey with a gold medal earned with their teammates.

Charles also proved to be the strongest of them all by winning gold in the 1000m distance.  After his remarkable races, Francois had only words of admiration for his brother. "Charles did perfect today, he really was the man to beat and he impressed everyone."  The younger Hamelin is also pleased and relieved to have delivered a strong performance in the relay since it confirmed his presence in Sochi. "We did everything as planned and it paid off.  I am thrilled to be officially going to the Olympics! I’m in heaven right now and I couldn’t ask for more” Charles and François will have a day of rest before heading to the land of the 2014 Olympic Games for the last World Cup the season.

Charles wins 500m event

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Charles and François both competed in the 1500m final A today at the Turin World Cup.  After a nasty fall, Charles was very disappointed with his race. "I made some tactical errors and I found myself in a bad position." But Charles quickly pulled himself together and won the gold in the 500m. "This race went extremely well! In the final, I was a little more conservative at first, because I didn’t want to use all my energy.  The Russian, Victor An, did as I expected but I still had the strength to accelerate and win the race"

François is absolutely thrilled by the performance he gave in the 1500m. “With our results today, Michael, Charles and I have assured 3 spots for Canada in the 1500m and 500m at the Olympic Games.”  Tomorrow will be the last day of competition in Italy and the boys will have the opportunity to win the gold in the relay. Charles will also be competing in the 1000m, hoping to reach the highest step of the podium again.

Another great day in Turin

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Turin - The Hamelin brothers had another wonderful day today in Italy.  Everything went as expected, while the boys won each of their relay races, which gave them a ticket for the quarterfinals.  Charles repeated the accomplishment in the 1000m, by being the first skater crossing the finish line in all his races.

François is aware that the stakes are high but he keeps his composure and is pleased that the first relay races went well. "It was important not to make mistakes in the relay in order to reach the semifinals and to be in the top 8 because it is the maximum number of teams that will compete in Sochi." Charles is very happy that the prelims are now behind him. "The last two days were excessively long but everything went well for me because I won all my races (10). Although the ice is really soft and difficult to skate on, I am in control of the situation and I cannot wait for the finals to show the other skaters what I'm capable of!" On Saturday, the two brothers will attempt to reach the finals of the 1500m and Charles will also be competing in the 500m eight finals.

No surprises for the two brothers

Turin - After Day 1 of competition, Charles and François are very satisfied with their performance and are now qualified for the final rounds. Tomorrow, the two brothers will compete side by side in the relay event.  Charles will also race in the 1000m distance in which he is currently the World Cup leader.

Charles in a Sport Chek video

Day 1 of Turin World Cup: The brothers are ready

Races of the third World Cup of the season will begin tomorrow in Turin.  Although their first days in Italy weren’t as good as expected because of an accommodation problem, the Hamelin brothers didn’t let the situation affect them.

After staying a few days in poor conditions, the members of the Canadian team had to change hotels and are now residing at a much more acceptable place.  Both with podium expectations, François will start the weekend  by competing in the 1500m while Charles will race in the 1500m and 500m.

Visit their Facebook page to wish them good luck for their first day of competition.

Charles Hamelin   François Hamelin

For schedule and results visit: International Skating Union

Turin World Cup

After a week of training in Hungary, the Hamelin brothers arrived today in Turin for the third short track speed skating World Cup of the season.

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François, in Budapest

Having had quality training sessions in Budapest, Charles and Francois are very satisfied with their stay. The boys are now perfectly adapted to the conditions in Europe and the jet lag is gone for good.  They landed in Italy to begin the final step before the Olympics.  The stakes are high as the World Cups 3 and 4 will be serving as qualifying events for individual races as well as for the relay. The Canadian team will have the opportunity to qualify for up to three skaters for each distance in addition to providing a spot for the relay.  While François will compete in the 1500m and relay events, Charles will be doing all distances with a clear chance to take home the gold in every one of them.

The Hamelin brothers are always well received in Italy, thus they are very excited about tasting good food and of course, delicious coffee.  For François, the city that hosted the 2006 Olympics is really special because it brings back precious memories. ”I remember watching the Olympics at home, my brother was part of the Canadian team so obviously I was cheering and screaming in front of my television. I lost my voice after Marc Gagnon and Jonathan Guillemette won their medal in the 500m and I cried when I knew my brother was coming home with a silver medal from the relay. ” It is now François’ turn to perform in Italy. “These beautiful moments definitely inspire me and now it is my turn to show what I’m capable of.  My job will be to secure a spot in the 1500 and relay events”

The biggest rivals of Canadian skaters are from Korea, China and Usa.  Victor An, from Russia, is also very dominant but Charles isn’t worried at all because after the last week of training, he is totally satisfied with his skating and he looks forward to start competing. “I am very excited to return to the arena of the 2006 Olympic Games. Good memories come to my mind when I think about Turin.  Also, the hot weather in Budapest and Turin makes me very happy!"

The World Cup will take place in Turin from November 7 to 10 and by then, Charles and François will face preparatory training sessions. The competition results will be available via International Skating Union  It will also be possible to watch the races live via ISU Skating Channel

Raising an Olympian: Hamelin Brothers

Sochi Olympics 100-day countdown

We are now inside the 100 day mark until the beginning of the Olympic Games in Sochi, but the Hamelin brothers remain focused and are enjoying their last days of training camp before heading to Turin, Italy.

picture: Associated Press - A. Zemlianichenko