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The final stretch
A little bit more than a week has passed since Charles and François Hamelin came back from Russia. Happy to be home, the brothers had a few well deserved, recovery days after their long trip to Europe. They needed a little break before concentrating on the final long stretch until the Olympics.
Chat with the Hamelin Brothers
Goodbye Russia
Today was the last day of competition of the year for Francois and Charles. They competed one last time in Kolomna, putting an end to a remarkable pre-Olympic season.
Triumphant journey continues
As night approaches in Russia, Charles and François describe their second day of competition with pride and satisfaction. The two brothers gave everything today in the 5000m relay, giving their rivals no chance. François affirms that the performance he delivered today in the relay was his best of the season. "We have already won two gold medals in the relay this year, but I bring more power to the team when I skate like I did today. It gives me confidence for Sochi"
Charles, once again, dominated in all his 1000m races and hopes that the final events will be as perfect as today. "The Olympics start in two and a half months, so I have to give my 100% in the upcoming days because it will be my last practice before Sochi."
Finals of the 1500m and 500m will take place tomorrow. To send words of encouragement to Charles and François, visit their Facebook page. Charles Hamelin François Hamelin
Hamelin brothers lead the pack
After day 1 of competition in Russia, Charles and Francois are in very good position in the rankings. The two brothers did everything as planned today as they both finished first in each of their races. The qualifications events for the 1500m and 500m are now behind us.
Tomorrow, the boys will join forces in the 5000m relay, and Charles will also be participating in the 1000m.
Olympic land
After a magnificent week in Italy, the Hamelin brothers landed Monday, in Kolomna Russia, for the last international meet before the Olympics.
Two training sessions have passed since their arrival in Kolomna and tomorrow will begin the qualifying rounds of the final World Cup of the season. Although the start of the week in Russia was difficult for Charles, he is ready and confident for this ultimate competition in which he will compete once again, in all distances. "The first day here didn’t go well, the ice was soft, I had a problem with my blades and I felt very tired. Luckily, everything is fine now and I'm ready. My goal is to reach for the podium in the 1500m and keep up the good work on the other distances."
As for François, he gradually rose up the rankings in the 1500m since the beginning of the World Cups – 9th, 5th and 4th – and intends to continue his progression in Kolomna. "My legs are ready and I feel good. My goal is to improve my strategy and avoid tactical errors."
Thursday, the two brothers will fiercely fight against their rivals in order to nicely complete their preparation for Sochi Olympic Games.
Tomorrow will be the 1500m and 500m races.
Visit International Skating Union for schedule and results.
Charles victory in the 500m event
Charles and François end memorable week with a win
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
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.
