Our Olympic Athletes! - Charle and Charles & Jessica and Jessica

The first group of athletes showcased are related in many ways. All four of them ARE in the Canadian team and all four are entered to be a part of Canada's short track speed skating team. However, another little snippet about them is that they all share similar names! Charle Cournoyer and Charles Hamelin as well as Jessica Gregg and Jessica Hewitt.

First up is Charle Cournoyer.  Born in Longueil, Québec, Cournoyer will be the youngest member of the  Canadian short track speed skating team for the Sochi Games. At 22-and-a-half years old, the Sochi games will serve as Cournoyer's Olympic debut. Despite competing in two World Cups in 2011-2012, he  is still a fresh face in the national team and international stage. During November 2013, the Canadian Short Track Speed Skating trials were being held. Among the candidates, Cournoyer finished among the top-three men in the trials, earning his spot on the team.

Our next athlete is Charles Hamelin with a long anc connected history into the Olympics. Born in Lévis, Québec this star athlete has accomplished many things! Just 2 years ago, Hamelin was; and still is, heralded as an amazing athlete. Winning not 1, not 2, but 14 first place finishes in Vancouver's Olympics, he has since held a spot in the nation's Canadian records, winning two shiney golden medals in the span of 30 minutes. While the Olympics are known in his name, they are also known in his family! His younger brother, François Hamelin, is also an Olympic athlete! To add on to that, his father is the current director of the National Short Track Team, leading the team into victories many a time. Needless to say, with his experience and victories under his belt, he was accepted as one of Canada's male competitors in the short track speed skating event in Sochi. With his brother, they will compete for the gold medals in Sochi 2014!

Want to read about François Hemelin before I cover him? Check his profile out here!
http://olympic.ca/team-canada/francois-hamelin/

Hamelin isn't the only one with strong family-ties to the games they love! Jessica Gregg, born in Edmonton, Alberta, has ice in her blood. Having a speed skating mom and a hockey player dad, she soon found herself on the ice like the rest of her family. However, she found a unique calling and became the family's only short track speed skater. Making her first Olympic appearance in Vancouver 2 years ago, with her long track older brother Jamie Gregg, she won silver in the 300m relay as well as being in the top 7 list in the 500m and 1000m. Though having these great victories under her belt, Gregg suffered a bad concussion after slipping and falling hard into rink padding in 2011. Since then, she has recouperated and trained in order to get ready for the Olympics, making this epic comback the highlight of her career.

Want to know about Jamie Gregg before I write about him? Check out his profile here!
http://olympic.ca/team-canada/jamie-gregg/

Lastly, but definately not least, we have Jessica Hewitt! Born in local Langley, BC (BC REPRESENT!) Hewitt has been a part of the short track speed skating scene since the 2008-09 season, being recognized as a valued member of the 300m relay team ever since. Having tons of experience under her name, she also has the rewards to prove it, winning 10 World Cup relays as well as 3 championship relay medals for 2009, 2011 and 2013. Adding on to the experience will be the Sochi Games, marking her Olympic debut after coming up just short of the Vancouver selection trials in for 2010. In order to prepare for this year, she has since then trained consistantly, becoming a fulltime athlete.

What events are you looking forward to? Are there any athletes you'd liked covered in particular? Let me know in the comments!