DORIAN GEIGER
Sports Editor

VANCOUVER – You might have heard of Charles Hamelin. He is Canada’s newest sports celebrity and he enjoys drawing comics in his spare time. You might also have heard he skates circles around international athletes for kicks.

After Canadian speed skater Hamelin was surpassed in the final stretch of the 1,500 metre by the Korean speed skating team during the Vancouver Olympics last week, Canada’s skating poster child told a nation of stunned fans to be patient, promising them a glorious medal later in the tournament.

So what’s better than one gold medal? Two is the obvious answer — just ask the soft spoken Hamelin.

On Feb. 26 Hamelin doubled up on his promise, striking gold on the international speed skating podium in 500-metre short track and in the 5,000-metre relay.

Up until Hamelin’s dual capturing of gold, Canada’s speed skating team had only captured two silver medals, a disappointing showing for the well-oiled skating machine that was expected to excel in Vancouver.

It might have been a different story for Hamelin had U.S.A.’s Apolo Ohno been fully recharged after a gruelling 10 days of international competition. Ohno, who boasts America’s most expansive all-time winter medal collection with eight, was disqualified for bumping Canadian Francois-Louis Tremblay at Richmond’s Olympic Oval during Hamelin’s gold medal skate.

Hamelin was also narrowly edged by Ohno in his fourth place finish in 1,500-metre short track and the two were fiercely competitive against each other all week. Despite the level of intensity between Canada-U.S.A. Olympic match ups, Hamelin was quick to say he didn’t think of Ohno as a rival.

“The competition has always been there I think since the world cup circuit,” Hamelin told the press on Feb. 28.

“I don’t think for me — he’s never been a big rival. He’s just another competitor. I’m glad to be able to race against him.

“It’s hard to beat him,” added Hamelin.
</p> <p><a href=”http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-medals/” mce_href=”http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-medals/” title=”Vancouver 2010 Medals”>View the vancouver2010.com medals’ table</a></p> <p>
The 25-year-old’s triumph marked an onslaught of Canadian medals, bringing the Red and White a step closer to running away with the Olympic gold medal standings.

Less than 24 hours after Hamelin captured gold, Canada’s team pursuit skating team, snowboarder Jasey-Jay Anderson and the Albertan curling team of Kevin Martin all draped themselves in Canadian flags as more gold medals found homes on the necks of Canucks.

Canada has achieved a record for the most Winter Olympic gold medals a host country has ever won at the Olympics. With the country’s 13th gold, Canada also moves into a tie with the former Soviet Union (1976) and Norway (2002) for most gold medals won at a Winter Olympics. Canada has the chance to best that Soviet score with a Canadian men’s hockey gold on Feb. 28 when the team clashes with the cross-border rival Team U.S.A.

And the highlight of Hamelin and the Canadian speed skating press conference?

Chasing down Hamelin with Nardwuar the Human Serviette to get a photo as the skater was being escorted out of the International B.C. Media Centre by police.

Nardwuar, the former MuchMusic VJ, handed me his camera to snap a photo of him and the bashfully grinning Hamelin. Meanwhile, I snapped a mental photo of one of the funnier athlete-journalist confrontations I have laid eyes upon.