Quebec Games: Hamelin wants to give back to young people

Wolf River | Thirteen months ago, Charles Hamelin became the most decorated male athlete of the Winter Games by winning a sixth career Olympic medal in Beijing. A year later, he is present at the Jeux du Québec and the time has come to give back to young people.

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And this youth impresses him. As an analyst for short track speed skating competitions, the one who was nicknamed “the locomotive of Sainte-Julie” noticed that the train was going faster and faster.

“All the girls and all the guys were beating my times at the time. That tells you how the sport has evolved,” he remarks admiringly.

He notably underlined the course of the three Joly sisters who got their hands on two gold medals each, performances that toured Quebec.

“They were the favourites, but it’s a lot of pressure, it plays in the head, so it’s exceptional what they achieved. »

Stay accessible

Charles Hamelin is very touched to see that he has become an idol and above all an example for young hopefuls, including Alexis Dubuc-Bilodeau who won three gold medals at the Quebec Games this week.

That’s why he wants to remain accessible for the next generation, like the older ones did with him when he started skating.

“You don’t start a sport saying you’re going to be the idol, but I wanted to pursue my dream and now if it can serve as an example,” explains the four-time Olympic gold medalist.

“Alexis, I communicate with him, we text each other regularly, he asks me questions and it always makes me happy. [de lui répondre]. It’s not an effort,” he adds.

The former national team member is full of praise for the young Dubuc-Bilodeau.

“To dominate so much, to be confident and to execute it, it’s a step in the right direction. The Quebec Games are mini Olympic Games. You take that experience and you take it to a higher level,” says Hamelin, who warns the youngster not to rest on his laurels.

“When you lift your foot, there is a skater to take your place. »

Quebec Games

Is it possible to believe that the greatest medalist in Canadian history finished in 16^e rank out of 16 skaters during his only participation in the Quebec Games in 1997?

And yet, it is the reality. Charles Hamelin still has excellent memories of his time at the Games in Saint-Romuald.

“At 13, I didn’t go there to break records, but what an extraordinary experience. The bus trip, the athletes’ village, the ceremony, it’s like the Olympics,” says Hamelin.

A special medal

Close to his emotions, Charles Hamelin takes advantage of his interview with The newspaper to reflect on the gold medal in the 5000m relay that he won alongside his brother François in Vancouver in 2010.

“You can have lows, but when you work hard and work hard […] The swing of the pendulum is coming,” confides the man who has won several medals in his career.

“That’s what happened with my brother, he made the national team, he was with me for 13 years, three Olympics and a relay medal in 2010 in Vancouver, the medal I cherish the most. , nowadays. »

In the footsteps of his childhood idol

Alexis Dubuc-Bilodeau is currently the fastest 15-year-old skater in Canada. The Mauricie athlete swept away everything this week at the Quebec Games, winning three gold medals in as many individual races.

Even if his goals come with enormous pressure, the teenager from Cap-de-la-Madeleine does not hesitate to say that he dreams of the Olympic Games and that he would like to follow in the footsteps of his idol and his mentor, Charles Hamlin.

“My goal is to go to the Canada Games, the selections for the world junior championships and the Olympics,” he says, adding that he would like to pursue a career in skating.

His trainer is not stung either. Éric Bédard, winner of four Olympic Games medals, has been her full-time coach and her father-in-law for a dozen years.

“He has great potential. With the weather he is currently doing, we have to say that in two years from now, he will be knocking on the door of the world junior championship”, mentions Bédard, who nevertheless remains cautious in his comments because of his bond with the young skater.

Already very fast

However, in speed skating, there are data that do not deceive. Alexis Dubuc-Bilodeau is already achieving a speed of 8.7 seconds per lap while the best in the world are achieving times of 8.0 to 8.1 seconds per lap.

“He is 0.6 seconds around the best in the world. For example, it’s a speed that Mathieu Pelletier did two years ago, but it’s very rare. A 15-year-old does that in Canada and Alexis is still skating on his 14-year-old year, ”recalls his coach.

In addition to his speed and physical skills, the 15-year-old has demonstrated since the start of the season that he is capable of excellent race management. A strength that skaters often develop a little later.

“Alexis has been in skating for a long time and he has great racing intelligence. He analyzes the best a lot, he takes his example from Mathieu Pelletier who had also won three gold medals at the last Quebec Games in 2019. He will seek the advice of Charles Hamelin, he always wants to improve, ”notes Éric Bedard.

In a class apart

Alexis Dubuc-Bilodeau had circled the date of the Quebec Games and already the pressure was enormous, but he showed all his opponents that he was in a class apart.

“He was very nervous before the first race. We got him to verbalize it, pressure is part of elite sport […] It’s to control what you are able to control and he had one of his best races in life”, underlines the trainer.

A few hours before leaving Bas-Saint-Laurent, Alexis Dubuc-Bilodeau had very fond memories of his race and his time at the Quebec Games.

“It’s a great experience to have. To be with the gang, to eat together, to sleep together, to do activities, everyone encourages each other and it’s really fun”, mentions the one who was delighted with the results of the Mauricie which won 11 medals. gold in speed skating.

Éric Bédard is very proud of these results. Especially since for him, it was a homecoming when he spent four years of his life training in Rivière-du-Loup with the coach member of the Sports Hall of Fame, Dr.^r Francois Gougoux.

He even stayed with his coach. A situation he is currently experiencing with his son-in-law.

“Francois was tough,” he remembers laughing. But he made the cut between practice and home. He was able to have fun when it was time. I must say that it helps me now and I try to do the same with Alexis,” he concludes.