Samuel Girard
{{short description|Canadian short-track speed skater}}
{{for|the ice hockey player|Sam Girard}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Samuel Girard
| image = Samuel Girard Moscow 2015 02.JPG
| nationality = Canadian
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1996|6|26}}
| birth_place = Ferland-et-Boilleau, Québec
| height = 1.81 m
| weight = 72 kg
| country = Canada
| sport = Short track speed skating
| event = 1000 m, 1500 m
| club =
| medaltemplates=
{{MedalOlympic}}
{{MedalGold|2018 Pyeongchang|1000 m}}
{{MedalBronze|2018 Pyeongchang|5000 m relay}}
{{MedalCompetition|World Championships}}
{{MedalSilver|2016 Seoul|1000 m}}
{{MedalSilver|2016 Seoul|5000 m relay}}
{{MedalSilver|2017 Rotterdam|1500 m}}
{{MedalSilver|2018 Montreal|5000 m relay}}
{{MedalSilver|2019 Sofia|1500 m}}
{{MedalBronze|2017 Rotterdam|Overall}}
}}
Samuel Girard (born June 26, 1996) is a Canadian retired short-track speed skater. Girard is the reigning Olympic champion and first Canadian to win the Olympic gold in the 1,000 m.{{cite news|title=Samuel Girard becomes Canada's 1st Olympic champion in 1,000m short track |author=Pete Evans |url=https://olympics.cbc.ca/news/article/canada-boutin-girard-skate-for-medals-short-track.html |date=February 17, 2018}} He won four medals, three silver and two bronze at the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships and multiple World Cup medals.{{cite web|title=Samuel Girard, Genève Bélanger and Audrey Phaneuf to lead Canadian Short Track Speed Skating team at World Junior Championships Races will take place from Feb. 27 to March 1 in Osaka, Japan |url=http://sirc.ca/news/samuel-girard-geneve-belanger-and-audrey-phaneuf-lead-canadian-short-track-speed-skating-team |website=SIRC |access-date=October 13, 2017}}{{cite web|title=Samuel Girard biography |url=http://www.isu.html.infostradasports.com/cache/TheASP.asp@PageID%3D302037&SportID%3D302&Personid%3D1247237&TaalCode%3D2&StyleID%3D0&Cache%3D2.html?852642 |website=Infostrada |access-date=October 13, 2017}}
Career
Girard competed at the 2016 World Championships where he won a silver in the 1,000 m behind countryman Charles Hamelin, and a silver in the 5,000 m relay.{{cite news|title=Samuel Girard shows why he's a rising star in short track with 500-metre gold at World Cup in Calgary |url=https://nationalpost.com/sports/samuel-girard-shows-why-hes-a-rising-star-in-short-track-with-500-metre-gold-at-world-cup-in-calgary |newspaper=National Post |date=November 6, 2016 |access-date=October 13, 2017}} These results led to his being named a rising star in short track competitions among Canadian media. In response to being referred to as the next Hamelin, Girard said that “I’m not the second Charles Hamelin. I will be Samuel Girard, and this will be my career. I want to follow what Charles did, and it’s really inspiring to skate with him."
The following season, Girard had an even better world championships in Rotterdam at the 2017 World Championships. There he won a silver medal in the 1,500 m event, and with his total results finished in third overall at the competition.{{cite news|title=Marianne St-Gelais closing in on short track world title |url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/winter/speedskating/world-short-track-championships-st-gelais-girard-1.4021012 |website=CBC Sports |date=March 11, 2017 |access-date=October 13, 2017}}
=2018 Winter Olympics=
Girard was named to Canada's team at the 2018 Winter Olympics.{{cite web |url=http://olympic.ca/2017/08/30/10-short-track-speed-skaters-nominated-to-team-canada-for-pyeongchang-2018/|title=10 short track speed skaters nominated to Team Canada for PyeongChang 2018|last= Nichols|first=Paula|date=August 30, 2017|website=www.olympic.ca/|publisher=Canadian Olympic Committee |access-date=November 16, 2017}}{{cite web |url=http://www.sportsnet.ca/olympics/three-time-olympic-gold-medallist-hamelin-lead-canadas-2018-short-track-team/|title=Gold medallist Hamelin to lead Canada's 2018 short-track team|date=August 30, 2017|website=www.sportsnet.ca/|publisher=Sportsnet |access-date=November 16, 2017}} In the 1,000 m competition, he was in the semi-final together with teammate Hamelin. Girard initially failed to qualify for the final but a review of a tight passing scenario in the semi-final determined that Hamelin had interfered with Girard and Girard was advanced to the final. Skating the final, Girard led almost from start to finish, with his tactics to stay out of trouble in the pack. His strategy was proven wise when Hungarian skater Sándor Liu Shaolin took out both Korean skaters behind Girard in an aggressive pass. This cleared the way for Girard to win the gold in 1,000 m, the first Canadian short track speed skater to win in the distance.
=Retirement=
While competing at the 2019 World Championships Girard won another silver medal, his fourth individual world medal and sixth including two relay medals. During the summer of 2019, Girard and his girlfriend Kasandra Bradette, suddenly announced their retirement.{{cite news |title=Olympic champion Samuel Girard announces sudden retirement |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/speedskating/samuel-girard-speed-skating-announcement-1.5148201 |website=CBC Sports |date=May 24, 2019 |access-date=2019-11-03}} Girard was expected to be the heir to Charles Hamelin but actually retired before the elder. His retirement left the Canadian men's short track team without a true star aside from Hamelin, leaving Kim Boutin as the sole leader of the Canadian team.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website}}
- {{ISU short track skater|1247237}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 1000m Short Track Speed Skating Men}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Girard, Samuel}}
Category:Canadian male short-track speed skaters
Category:Olympic short-track speed skaters for Canada
Category:Olympic gold medalists for Canada
Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Canada
Category:Olympic medalists in short-track speed skating
Category:Short-track speed skaters at the 2018 Winter Olympics
Category:Medalists at the 2018 Winter Olympics
Category:World Short Track Speed Skating Championships medalists