Olympians Dubois, Sarault, Maltais and Dubreuil capture Athlete of the Year honours; Ouardi and Lamontagne selected as top coach and official

OTTAWA, ONTARIO – With the 2026-27 season on the horizon, Speed Skating Canada is proud to recognize the deserving individuals from across the Canadian speed skating community that were selected as recipients of the organization’s annual award program based on their outstanding accomplishments over the course of the 2025-26 campaign.

Olympian medalists swept the four Athlete of the Year awards, with Steven Dubois (Lachenaie, Que.) and Courtney Sarault (Moncton, N.B.) earning short track honours, while Laurent Dubreuil (Lévis, Que.) and Valérie Maltais (La Baie, Que.) took home the prizes for top long track skaters. Together, these four skaters – which include both of Canada’s flag bearers for the Milano-Cortina 2026 closing ceremony – earned a combined 10 Olympic medals this past February in Italy.

Muncef Ouardi (Quebec City, Que.) was selected as Coach of the Year following a successful season with Canada’s long track program, one that saw him guide Maltais to Olympic medals in both the 1500m and 3000m, among other accomplishments. Meanwhile, Jean Lamontagne (Ottawa, Ont.), who made his Olympic debut at Milano-Cortina 2026 as the chief starter for the men’s short track competition, was named Official of the Year.

Bimalpreet Grewal (Calgary, Alta.), who has captured countless speed skating competitions through his photo lens over the past several years, had his unmatched dedication rewarded with the Volunteer of the Year award. The Zeibin-Pabillano Family will receive the Gagné Family Award in recognition of their long-term involvement in the sport in Vancouver and across British Columbia, while Tourism Calgary were chosen as Partner of the Year in recognition of their longstanding support of the sport and involvement in national and international event hosting.

Meanwhile, five local speed skating clubs will receive funding courtesy of the Intact Insurance Club Excellence Award, which supports grassroots development initiatives that help the sport grow and thrive within their community. As grand prize winner, the Newmarket Jets Speed Skating Club (ON) will receive a $10,000 grant to support their project, while finalists from the CPV Ville de Québec (QC), CPV Cyclones de Codiac (NB), Northside Blades Speed Skating Club (NS) and Toronto Speed Skating Club (ON) will each receive $2,500.

Please join us in congratulating all the Speed Skating Canada annual award recipients from the 2025-26 season:

Athlete
• Male Short Track Athlete of the Year: Steven Dubois (QC)
• Female Short Track Athlete of the Year: Courtney Sarault (NB)
• Male Long Track Athlete of the Year: Laurent Dubreuil (QC)
Female Long Track Athlete of the Year: Valérie Maltais (QC)
Coaches
• Coach of the Year: Muncef Ouardi (QC)
• Coaching Award of Excellence: Alain Simard (ON)
• Coaching Award of Excellence: Krisztina Pap (ON)
Coaching Award of Excellence: Brenda Hennigar (BC)
Officials
• Official of the Year: Jean Lamontagne (ON)
• Official Award of Excellence: Michel Dumont (QC)
• Official Award of Excellence: Amanda Leonard (BC)
Official Award of Excellence: Rhona Brennan (AB)
Community
• Volunteer of the Year: Bimalpreet Grewal (AB)
• Partner of the Year: Tourism Calgary (AB)
Family of the Year: Zeibin-Pabillano Family (BC)
Intact Insurance Club Excellence Award
• Winner: Newmarket Jets Speed Skating Club (ON)
• Finalist: CPV Ville de Québec (QC)
• Finalist: Northside Blades Speed Skating Club (NS)
• Finalist: CPV Cyclones de Codiac (NB)
Finalist: Toronto Speed Skating Club (ON)