Jessica Hewitt.
Image Credit: Speed Skating Canada
August 30, 2013 - 11:17 AM
KAMLOOPS – Speed skater Jessica Hewitt is set to represent Canada at the Sochi Olympics in February as one of five female short track racers.
The 26-year-old, who began her training in Kamloops at the age of 10 and now trains in Montreal as part of the national team, has been nominated alongside nine other skaters to vie for a spot on the Canadian Olympic team and will compete in four International Skating Union World Cup events this season with the last two being Olympic qualifiers. All of Canada's nominated athletes will contend for placements in the 500 metre, 1,000 m and 1,500 m races in Sochi.
Hewitt set personal bests earlier this year in the 1,000 m and 1,500 m at the Short Track Speedskating World Cup in Germany, where she also won silver as part of the 3000 m relay team.
In order for any country to secure all three placements, racers must finish in the top 32 in the 500 m and 1000 m events, and top 36 in the 1500 m race. In the women’s 3000 m relay and men’s 5000 m relay, only the top eight teams will qualify to race in Sochi.
Hewitt joins Valerie Maltais, Marianne St-Gelais, Marie-Eve Drolet and Jessica Gregg on the women's team while Charles Hamelin, Olivier Jean, Charle Cournoyer, Michael Gilday and Francois Hamelin
The Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games will take place from Feb. 7-23, 2014.
To contact a reporter for this story, email jstahn@infotelnews.ca, call (250)819-3723 or tweet @JennStahn.
News from © iNFOnews, 2013