Five-time Olympic medallist Charles Hamelin could add a sixth to his impressive collection, Canada’s men’s curling team will begin its pursuit of a medal and the men’s Olympic hockey tournament will get going at last.
Here are five things to watch at the Beijing Games on Wednesday, Feb. 9.
Hamelin could enter elite Canadian Olympic company
Competing in his fifth and final Olympic Games, 37-year-old Charles Hamelin could become just the fifth Canadian Olympian to capture six Olympic medals as he takes part in the men’s 1,500-metre short-track speedskating race Wednesday. If he does accomplish the feat, he’d join Cindy Klassen as the only Winter Olympian to do it. Swimmer Penny Oleksiak has a Canadian-record seven Olympic medals across two Games, sprinter Andre De Grasse has six over two Olympics, and Clara Hughes has six over the span of three Summer and three Winter Games, competing in both cycling and speedskating.
Canadian women competing on the short track
Wednesday will be a busy day on the short track. Not only will medals be handed out in the men’s 1,500 metres, but heats in the women’s 1,000 and the semifinals in the women’s 3,000-metre relay will play out as well. Fresh off a bronze medal performance in the 500-metre sprint, Kim Boutin of Sherbrooke, Que., will be looking for more Beijing hardware and she’ll get the chance to put herself in position to do so in those two preliminary events. Boutin won a silver medal in the 1,000 metres in Pyeongchang.
Canadian men’s Olympic curling tournament gets underway
After disappointment in the mixed doubles event, Canada will get another shot at curling glory when skip Brad Gushue and his rink begins its tournament against Denmark. For the first time since curling was re-introduced to the Olympic program in 1998, Canada’s men’s team failed to medal in Pyeongchang, finishing fourth. That 2018 team was led by Kevin Koe. Gushue previously guided Canada to a gold medal at the 2006 Games in Turin.
Men’s Olympic hockey tournament begins
The men’s hockey tournament will get underway on Wednesday with a pair of games. The powerful Russian team will square off against Switzerland and the Czech Republic will see Denmark. No current NHL players are participating in the Olympic tournament, but Russia does feature former NHL players on its rosters such as Artem Anisimov and Slava Voynov. Canada won’t begin its tournament until Thursday.
Sixteen-year-old Brooke D’Hondt makes her Olympic debut
Both men’s and women’s snowboard halfpipe will go through their qualification runs on Wednesday. This event will be the Olympic debut of 16-year-old Calgary native Brooke D’Hondt, the youngest athlete named to Canada’s Olympic team in Beijing. There aren’t too high expectations for her, but seeing as she can only just get a driver’s licence now, her future could be bright. On the men’s side, three-time Olympic halfpipe gold medallist Shaun White of the United States will begin his quest for a fourth straight gold.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 7, 2022.
The Canadian Press
