Olympic hopeful loves to go fast, on and off the ic

PETRINA GENTILE Globe and Mail - Dec. 24, 2009 

He's Canada's top-ranked short track speed skater and he's going for gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Charles Hamelin is a speed demon at heart. He's equally as fast and nimble on the ice as he is on the road, especially when he's driving his 2007 Mazdaspeed3 hatchback.

"I really like speed; I guess speed is in my blood. I wanted to have a car that speeds well. When it passes, the car has really good acceleration and really good speed," says Hamelin, who finished third overall at the 2009 World Short Track Championships, winning gold in the 500-metre and bronze in the 300-metre. He won his first Olympic medal, a silver in the 5,000 relay, at the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin.

As if training, Hamelin turned to his coach Derrick Campbell for car advice. "He really knows everything about all the cars on the market. I went with him to try cars.

Charles Hamelin is a speed demon at heart