Canada’s defending gold medal relay team crashed in the semi-finals of the men’s 5000-metre short track event, and failed to qualify for the finals.
The Canadian team was sitting comfortably in a close 3rd place, when François Hamelin fell with about a third of the race to go. His brother Charles wasn’t close enough to immediately get back in the race, and Canada fell to a distant 4th place.
Canada had won gold in the event in Vancouver and had high hopes for a repeat in Sochi. The team was composed of Charle Cournoyer, Michael Gilday, Charles Hamelin and François Hamelin.
Only the top two teams from each semi final move on to the medal round.
The American and Korean teams also crashed during the first semi-final race. The Korean team was out of contention, however the Americans were permitted to advance to the final.
François Hamelin tweeted his disappointment later in the day.
Charles Hamelin also took to Twitter, saying that it doesn’t matter what people say, he’s proud of his little brother. “He’s a great athlete and a real champion,” Hamelin wrote.
This result means that Charles Hamelin loses his chance to become Canada’s most-decorated Olympian. He needed a medal in all four of his events to surpass speedskater Cindy Klassen and speedskater/cyclist Clara Hughes, who each have six medals. He currently has four medals, after winning the 1500-metre race earlier this week, and a chance to win two more in Sochi to tie the record.
The finals are on Feb. 21. See a schedule of all Olympic events here.
With files from the Canadian Press
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