BEIJING — Canadian Olympic legend Charles Hamelin will lace up his skates one last time Wednesday at the Beijing Games. Fellow short-track speedskating star Kim Boutin will be looking to add a second medal to her Beijing collection, and the quarterfinals of the men’s hockey tournament get underway.
Here are five things to watch at the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday, Feb. 16.
Hamelin’s last hurrah
Charles Hamelin, a five-time medallist competing at his fifth Games, will skate in his final Olympic short-track race on Wednesday. Hamelin will be part of Canada’s men’s 5,000-metre short-track speedskating relay race team, competing in the Final A of the event. No matter the outcome, Hamelin will leave behind a legacy as Canada’s greatest short-track athlete of all time. However, he’ll want to finish his illustrious career off with another podium finish. Meanwhile, Steven Dubois, Hamelin's relay teammate, can pick up his third medal of these Games in the event.
Boutin with another shot at another medal
Canada’s Kim Boutin, who already won a bronze in the women’s 500-metre short-track sprint, is expected to be on the hunt for another medal on Wednesday in the 1,500. Boutin won a bronze in the 1,500 four years ago in Pyeongchang and was a silver medallist in the event at the 2019 world championships.
Men’s hockey tournament enters quarterfinals
The quarterfinals of the men’s Olympic hockey tournament will play out Wednesday with four games. Canada is expected to be among the eight teams vying for a spot in the semifinals. Barring a dramatic upset at the hands of China in Tuesday's qualification-round match, the Canadians will be taking on Sweden, a team that finished second in Group C, sporting a goal differential of plus-three. Canada was second in Group A and boasted a goal differential of plus-seven.
Women’s hockey bronze medal on the line
While the gold-medal game between Canada and the United States will play out Thursday, the bronze-medal game of the women’s hockey tournament goes Wednesday between Switzerland and Finland. This is the sixth time Finland has reached the bronze-medal game at the Olympics. They will be going for their fourth bronze medal in the history of the competition.
Possible medal hopes in men’s aerials
Miha Fontaine and Lewis Irving both won bronze as part of the Canadian mixed aerials team, and there’s hope that they’ll threaten the podium in the finals of the men’s individual aerials competition on Wednesday. Émile Nadeau is another Canadian to watch for in the competition. At 18 years old, he’s the youngest male athlete on Canada’s Olympic team.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 14, 2022.
The Canadian Press
