(Beijing) World Champion. Olympic champion. Record holder. Head of mission. The CV of former skater Nathalie Lambert was already remarkable. On Saturday, it will be enriched with an even more exceptional title.
Posted at 7:45 a.m.
Creator of a new Olympic event.
Which ?
Hey you are impatient! I arrive there. Promised. But first, a little detour on the path taken by Nathalie Lambert to convince the International Olympic Committee to add a final to the official programme. A ten-year marathon, which was as winding as a giant slalom course.
The story begins in 2010, when Nathalie Lambert joined the technical committee of the International Skating Union. Its objective: to create new content for short track speed skating in order to increase the visibility of the sport. Quickly, she realizes that she is surrounded by “very conservative people, not very keen on change”.
“I had to push really hard on the mammoth,” she tells me, laughing.
PHOTO ARCHIVE THE CANADIAN PRESS
Nathalie Lambert
The short track then has a little lame duck in its family. The 3000m. A test that Nathalie Lambert knows very well. She has already held the world record for this distance. It’s a long, slow and unpopular race, both with spectators and athletes, who prefer sprints.
“It didn’t really matter. It was clear that it was never going to fit into the program of the Games. So she begins to “twist her arms” – that’s her expression – to convince her colleagues to replace the 3000m with a sexier event. At this point begins a series of trials and errors, which will extend over several years.
First try: miss and out
A race inspired by cycling. “After a certain number of laps, the last competitor was eliminated. Except that the skaters died before the end. It wasn’t working. »
Second try: intermediate sprints
Another idea borrowed from cycling. As in the Tour de France, skaters collect points when they are in the front row after certain stages of the race. Again, the sprinters were wearing themselves out too quickly. The Union continued with a hybrid formula of the two concepts. Failure. “Forward, it was fine, says Nathalie Lambert. But behind, the skaters jostled not to be eliminated. It just didn’t work. »
Third try: the pursuit
A popular event in track cycling and long track speed skating, which did not pass the short track test. Why ? “Our lap is not big enough. It was too easy to take four seconds from an opponent,” explains Nathalie Lambert.
Fourth attempt: the flying lap
The idea was popular with coaches. A fastest flying lap, like in Formula 1. “The coaches were crazy about this concept. And it’s true that on paper, it was great. Then we started working on the details. Obviously, the ice had to be optimal for all the skaters. This meant that we had to redo the ice before each competitor. We couldn’t do that. »
* * *
In 2015, great news gave Nathalie Lambert’s ambitions new wings. The awarding of the 2022 Winter Games to short track speed skating powerhouse China. “The Chinese love short track. We suspected that as hosts, they would have an interest in one more final. »
The following year, Nathalie Lambert became the president of the technical committee of the International Skating Union. Under his leadership, the federation is working on a new event concept, which it wants to submit to the International Olympic Committee. This time, we are inspired by figure skating, rather than cycling.
“Our idea was a team competition, in three stages. First, individual races, in which skaters score points for their country. Then, a team race, in which your second or third skater determines your final rank. Finally, a mixed relay, in which men and women compete in the same race. »
The committee submits its project during the 2017-2018 season. IOC response: yeah… It’s all a bit complicated. Especially since none of this has ever been tested at the World Championships or World Cup.
“It caught us a little off guard,” recalls Nathalie Lambert. The IOC people came back to us and told us: the only event that interests us is your mixed relay. Would you be okay moving forward with just that?
- Yes of course ! We finished the project on the flybridge. In 24 hours, we turned around, and we presented what everyone will see in Beijing. »
A 2000m race, in which two men and two women from each country will each take two relays in the following order: women-women-men-men-women-women-men-men. As the distances covered by each skater will be short, it promises to be spectacular.
Nathalie Lambert was to come here, to China, to witness the first steps of her Olympic baby. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, invitations have been restricted. It is therefore from her home, in Quebec, that she will watch this very first final of the mixed relay at the Games.
“I am proud of this contribution. It wasn’t that obvious. All the planets had to be aligned. That there is a will from the IOC. Let’s not increase the number of athletes. Now it will allow countries with less depth, such as France, Belgium and Poland, to have a better chance of winning a medal in short track.
“Honestly, if I hadn’t been there, this ordeal wouldn’t have existed. I am proud to leave that as a legacy to my sport and to have contributed to bringing one more event into the Olympic programme. »
The mixed relay will be presented on Saturday. Qualifications from 7:20 a.m., final at 8:25 a.m.