GANGNEUNG, South Korea – These are legacy Games for Charles Hamelin, the fourth and last Olympics for one of Canada’s most decorated winter athletes and while it’s still about the results – it’s always about the results – there’s more to it than just that in Pyeongchang.
One more Olympic medal and he matches Marc Gagnon and Francois-Louis Tremblay for the most ever won by a Canadian short-track speedskater at five, two more and he ties Cindy Klassen and Clara Hughes atop the leaderboard, summer or winter.
Heady company.
Still, transition looms for the short-track team and the 33-year-old is thinking about the generation behind him while he’s trying to add another storied moment or two to his already stellar career.
That’s how Hamelin was able to reconcile the ninth-lap contact that led to an impeding penalty and last place in the men’s 1,500 metres Saturday, a race he won four years ago in Sochi. Teammate Samuel Girard, a 21-year-old Olympic rookie from Ferland-et-Boilleau, Que., ended up in fourth place, a different official’s ruling away from a spot on the podium, making his own result much easier to stomach for Hamelin than his wipeouts in the 500 and 1,000 four years ago.
"My feeling is different because I’m not the same person I was before in Vancouver or in Sochi. My role of veteran is much more present," he said afterwards. "In Sochi I was with my brother (Francois), Olivier Jean, Michael Gilday, all those guys, they were all veterans like me. They had a lot of experience in World Cups, in the Olympics, the feeling wasn’t the same. We were all in our own bubble, doing our thing.
"Now, I feel much more like I want to take the team and make sure the team is well. Even if I made a mistake, yes, I’m a little bit disappointed, but I know the team will get together and pass through it and be ready for the next few days."
The wild final, in which world No. 1 Hwang Daeheon of South Korea wiped out to open things up for Girard, capped a Gong Show evening at the Gangneung Ice Arena.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in sat with U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence while in the upper corner of the building, a North Korean cheer squad of well over a hundred people clad in red chanted and sang in support of Choe Un Song, who didn’t survive the heats.
They bailed shortly after he got knocked out.
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In between races – which also included 23-year-old rookie Pascal Dion finishing third in the B final, Canadians Marianne St-Gelais, Hamelin’s fiancée, and Kim Boutin advancing to the 500 metre quarterfinals and the women’s 3,000-metre relay squad qualifying for the final, Korean rap group Dynamic Duo kept the place hopping.
"Just being on the ice with that crowd is incredible," said Hamelin. "I’m just wishing for a better result in the next few races."
Girard, a silver medallist in the world championships last year, nearly pulled one out, jumping to fourth with three laps to go after the Hwang fall. But he couldn’t overtake Russian Semen Elistratov, who finished third behind winner Lim Hyojun of South Korea and Dutchman Sjinkie Knegt.
"At that point, (energy in) the legs started to be a little low," Girard said. "I just tried to close the gap and be ready if something happens, if someone tries to make a pass and there’s a fall. I was ready to try and catch up and ready to react, but nothing happened and the legs weren’t there."
Afterwards, both he and Hamelin stood by the exit from the ice awaiting the officials’ ruling, the kid with hope, the veteran with disappointment.
"I was looking for a disqualification (to get on) the podium," explained Girard. "It wasn’t there but I’m really happy with the fourth place. Just the experience to be there and living it, I’m really happy about that."
He was less happy with how things played out for Hamelin, who has taken him under his wing over the past couple years as roommates to groom him as a future leader.
Asked if he was ready for the role, Girard replied, "If the opportunity is there for sure I will take it."
Hamelin isn’t quite ready to give up the mantle just yet.
The native of St-Julie, Que., provided one of the most memorable moments of the Vancouver Olympics when after he won the 500 he leaped into the stands and kissed an elated Gelais. A similar scene unfolded in Sochi but in Pyeongchang, "I’m just not watching," she said. "I’m so stressed watching him."
Her nerves would certainly have been a mess Saturday, as Hamelin dropped from first to fourth in Lap 7 before the fateful contact of Lap 9.
"I tried to protect my spot," he explained. "At the same time there was someone passing on the inside and someone passing on the outside, so I had to decide where I wanted to be. The guy inside didn’t stop his pass, in my mind he had no place to go, so I took my place and stayed there and I got stuck with the guy in front of me and we bumped."
Just like that his hopes of an Olympic repeat disappeared although he could take solace at being able to hold his own at 33 in a fast heat that included nine skaters, mostly 25 and under.
Yeah, he still wants more medals, but he want to pay his experience forward, too.
"That’s part of it," said Hamelin. "I just want to make sure that not only Sam but also Pascal and Charle Cournoyer are ready for the next few years and up to the next Olympics, make sure they have a good path to follow and make sure that they are ready to face the world."