Racing on the edge: Hamelin says short track and Formula One have similarities
Charles Hamelin was a couple of days removed from becoming Canada’s most decorated winter Olympian and was on his flight home from Beijing.
“Love the helmet Speedskater01. Congratulations on all your success in Beijing,” Hamilton tweeted to his more than seven million followers, with a gold-medal emoji. The post has almost 64,000 likes. The native of Sainte-Julie, Que., will be trackside for this week’s Montreal Grand Prix, as Formula One returns to Canada for the first time since 2019.Hamelin was Canada’s flag-bearer — along with women’s hockey superstar Marie-Philip Poulin –at the opening ceremony in Beijing, where he tied long-track speedskater Cindy Klassen’s Canadian Winter Olympic record with his sixth career medal — including four gold.
The similarities don’t end there. Both sports are about racing on a razor-thin edge between glory and disaster.