Short-track hopefuls take to Olympic venue

JEFF HODSON - METRO VANCOUVER - July 3rd, 2009

For Olympic hopeful Michael Gilday, the thrill of short-track is the fact that the winner doesn’t have to be the swiftest on the ice, but the smartest.“It’s a head-to-head race, and for me that’s the appeal,” said Gilday, 22, at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver on Thursday.

“If you go out and try to hammer as fast as you can, guys are just going to sit behind you, suck off you in the draft and pass you in the end. You’ve got to be intelligent.”

[...] Gilday has been on the national team for the past two years and he is one of 16 athletes challenging for four open spots on Canada’s Olympic team.“It’s going to be a huge battle for those last four spots.”