Canada’s short-track team heads to 2026 Olympics at its strongest in decades

Canada’s short-track speed skaters say they’re physically and mentally ready as they head to the Milan-Cortina Games.

Canada’s Olympic short-track speed skating team held a practice at Maurice Richard Arena. It was one of their final sessions before travelling to Italy for the Winter Olympics in February 2026.

Since 2006, Canadian speed skaters have won 43 Olympic medals and more than 210 world championship medals.

Head Coach Marc Gagnon says this is the strongest team heading into the winter games in three decades.

“They’ve all been training super good. And frankly, physically, they’re all ready. But we know how it is at games. The important part is also to bring your mind in, to be ready to control stress and focus on what you’ll have to do on the ice.”

From Sherbrooke, Que., three-time gold medallist at the 2025 world championships and International Skating Union Crystal Globe winner William Dandjinou says he’s ready for the challenge.

“Four years ago, I didn’t even qualify for the games, and now I’m in a position where I can have the weight of the world on my shoulders. It’s pretty cool, actually,” he told CTV News.

Also from Sherbrooke, four-time Olympic medalist, Kim Boutin won 17 medals at the world short track speed skating championships. Yet, she says Italy is her third and final Olympic Games.

“A little bit of Lâcher-prise (letting go). I feel like I’m a bit more calm and having fun, and I feel for me it’s the approach that I think I want to live those games. Having a mix of free fun and also performing,” she says.

Former Olympian and Tactical Coach, Olivier Jean, says Quebecers make up the majority of the team.

“The competition level is always higher at the Olympic Games. We shown great success for a few years now. We’re very confident we’re going to be physically and mentally ready to perform as well as we’ve been doing in the past few years,” says Jean.

Gagnon has challenged his team to bring home seven medals from the winter games.

Dandjinou isn’t intimidated by that number, saying, he’s there “just to enjoy the games with my teammates and hopefully get that seven-medal objective.”

The Milano-Cortina Winter Olympic Games 2026 start in just over two weeks and these skaters are ready to go.