MONTREAL (December 21, 2023) – Speed Skating Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee have announced Canada’s short track speed skating team selected to compete at the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games.

The Team Canada short track speed skating team for the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games is:

Athletes
Courtney Charlong (Campbellton, N.B.)
Victor Chartrand (Laval, Que.)
Alexis Dubuc-Bilodeau (Trois-Rivières, Que.)
Océane Guérard (Quebec City, Que.)

The athletes were selected based on their age eligibility and results at the 2023 Canadian Junior Short Track Champions held in November 2023 at the Olympic Oval in Calgary.

Courtney Charlong and Victor Chartrand are the two most experienced skaters on the squad, having recently competed at a pair of ISU Junior World Cup events in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, earlier this season. The pair are also in the running to suit up for Canada at the ISU Junior World Short Track Championships, which will take place in Gdansk, Poland, this February.

Chartrand helped Canada earn Junior World Cup bronze medals in the 3000m men’s relay and 2000m mixed team relay, while earning a pair of 14th place results in his individual distances. Charlong’s top result in Leeuwarden was 13th in the women’s 500m. The Campbellton native also competed at the 2023 Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island last winter, winning bronze in the women’s 500m and the women’s 3000m relay, in addition to being named New Brunswick’s flag bearer for the Opening Ceremony.

“Participating in the Youth Olympic Games has been a dream of mine since I was young, and I am proud to have accomplished it! I can’t wait to live and take advantage of this experience. I am extremely honored to wear the colors of Canada! I hope to represent my country well, all while soaking in this great international experience. Besides skating, the opening ceremony, meeting new skaters, visiting South Korea and staying in the athletes’ village are all things that excite me about this opportunity!”

Courtney Charlong

Joining Charlong and Chartrand in South Korea will be Océane Guérard and Alexis Dubuc-Bilodeau, who will both be making their international debuts.

Earlier this summer, Guérard, a member of the NextGen team who trains out of the Canada’s National Training Centre in Montreal, was diagnosed with a chronic inflammatory condition. With the help of her coaches and medical team, the 17-year-old was able to overcome that health setback to successfully return to competition and qualify for Gangwon 2024.

Meanwhile, 15-year-old Dubuc-Bilodeau, who still trains at his local speed skating club in Trois-Rivières, showed that age is just a number by becoming the youngest male skater to reach the podium at this season’s Canadian Junior Short Track Champions, earning bronze in the 1500m.

Lausanne 2020 was the first Winter Youth Olympic Games that Canada sent a short track team to. At those Games, Florence Brunelle, who hails from Trois-Rivières just like Dubuc-Bilodeau, captured a bronze medal in both the women’s 500m and the women’s 1000m. She became an Olympian two years later at Beijing 2022.

“Having been chosen as a Head Coach and Team Leader is an honor for me and the culmination of many years of hard work. I am very proud to lead the short track team that will represent Canada at the Youth Olympic Games, accompanied by another very experienced female coach. Between the two of us, I believe we will provide excellent support to the athletes while having fun discovering the world of the YOG together. It will be the experience of a lifetime!”

Elizabeth Migneron, Head Coach and Team Leader

Short track speed skating will take place January 20-24 (Days 1 to 5) at the Gangneung Ice Arena, the same venue used for short track at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

“Congratulations to the four athletes who will make up Team Canada’s Youth Olympic short track team. The speed, finesse and excitement of short track speed skating will be on full display in South Korea, and I am so excited to cheer on these athletes while they show the world what young Canadian speed skaters can do!”

Lisa Weagle, Team Canada’s Chef de Mission, Gangwon 2024

Team Canada’s short track speed skating alternate athletes, coaches and support staff for the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games are:

Alternate Athletes
Myriam Djouaher (Sherbrooke, Que.) – Alternate Athlete (Non-Travelling)
Ludovic Lachance (Saint-Eustache, Que.) – Alternate Athlete (Non-Travelling)

Coaches
Elizabeth Migneron (Montreal, Que.) – Head Coach and Team Leader
Elizabeth Ward (Montreal, Que.) – Assistant Coach

The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) are the world’s largest multi-sport event for high-performance young athletes aged 15 – 18. Gangwon 2024 will begin on January 19 and will end on February 1, 2024 and will feature 1900 athletes. Gangwon 2024 will be the fourth edition of the Winter YOG and the first in Asia. It will have a fully gender-balanced sporting program, and will feature seven sports, 15 disciplines, and a total of 81 events. 

Prior to being named to Team Canada, all nominations are subject to approval by the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Team Selection Committee following its receipt of nominations by all National Sport Organisations.

The latest Team Canada Gangwon 2024 roster can be found here, and additional press resources can be found here.