BEIJING — Charles Hamelin became Canada's most decorated male Winter Olympian, helping Canada win gold in the men's 5,000-metre short-track speedskating relay on Wednesday.
Hamelin and Canadian teammates Steven Dubois, Jordan Pierre-Gilles and Pascal Dion finished in a winning time of six minutes 41.25 seconds.
South Korea won silver in 6:41.69, while Italy claimed bronze in 6:43.431.
Canada trailed the Koreans and Russian Olympic Committee for much of the race, before Dubois pulled Canada into second with 21 of the 45 laps to go.
With 18 laps remaining, Pierre-Gilles pushed Canada to the front of the pack and the Canadians protected that lead until Dubois crossed the finish line ahead of his South Korean rival.
It's a sixth career medal for the 37-year-old Hamelin, who joins long-track speedskater Cindy Klassen as the only other Winter Olympian with a half-dozen podium finishes.
Hamelin, from Ste-Julie, Que., now has four Olympic gold medals to go along with one silver and one bronze. He last topped an Olympic podium in Sochi in 2014 in the men's 1,500.
He joins women's hockey players Caroline Ouellette, Jayna Hefford and Hayley Wickenheiser as the only Canadian Olympians with four gold medals.
He's also won 37 world championship medals – including 13 gold – across a storied career that saw him become short-track speedskating's overall world champion in 2018.
Dubois, meanwhile, has now won three medals — one of every colour — at the Beijing Games. He had earlier won silver in the 1,500 and bronze in the 500.
He becomes the second Canadian Olympian to complete the medal set in Beijing. Long-track speedskater Isabelle Weidemann won a gold, bronze and silver on the Ice Ribbon oval.
More to come.
The Canadian Press
