Hamelin counting on skinsuit to edge short track rivals in Sochi

Hamelin counting on skinsuit to edge short track rivals in Sochi

 

Sochi (Russia) (AFP)

 

Canadian short track star Charles Hamelin will be counting on a new aerodynamic skinsuit in Sochi starting Monday.

 

Short track gets underway at the Iceberg Skating Palace with the men's 1500m final and the women's 500m heats and 3000m relay semi-finals also featuring on the first day of action.

 

Hamelin won gold in the 500m and the 5000m relay in Vancouver and is the highest-ranked male short-tracker in Sochi -- ranked top in the World Cup at 1000m and 1500m, second at 500m.

 

And the 29-year-old will be competing wearing the latest in high-tech clothing for speed skaters -- a spandex bodysuit.

 

"It is based on the aerodynamics of the fabric," he explained.

 

"We are told this suit is faster and more comfortable. Knowing that in our minds will make us faster in competition."

 

He added: "I want to be the first man to win the 500m in two Olympic Games."

 

American JR Celski, bronze medallist in the 1500m and the 5000m relay, and who set the 500m world record in 2012, is a contender for multiple medals.

 

Canada's Marianne St-Gelais and Italy's Arianna Fontana are hoping to benefit from Wang's absence to move up from their silver and bronze in the 500m in Vancouver.

 

The Dutch women -- Jorien Ter Mors, and sisters Sanne and Yara Van Kerkhof -- are also medal hopes.

 

Short track includes eight events -- 500m, 1,000m, and 1,500m individually for both men and women and the relays -- men's 5000m and women's 3000m.

 

(Agence France-Presse, 10 Monday February 2014 The Roman)