“These will be my Games.”

After trading world titles in short track’s glamour event with Dancing with the Stars winner Apolo Anton Ohno, Charles Hamelin came into Vancouver looking to win an even bigger prize – an Olympic gold medal on home ice against his wildly popular American rival.

For the first 14 days of the Olympics, Charles was still waiting for the hardware to back up his bold prediction.

On the final Friday evening of the Games, Charles claimed his moment.

Then he did it again.

First, in a dramatic men’s 500m, Charles edged Apolo at the line. Then, he skated with his brother François and the rest of the Canadian Relay Team to win again in under 30-minutes becoming the only Canadian athlete to claim two gold medals on home ice.

It was a race that even the Prime Minister called the most exciting event of the Olympics.

Double Olympic silver medalist Marianne St-Gelais, Charles’ girlfriend (at the time), added to the emotion with a post-victory kiss that became one of the most memorable, instant-classic moments of the Games.

In Sochi 2014, Charles added to his impressive collection of Olympic gold medals and rinkside kisses from St-Gelais, winning the 1500m with a beautiful pass on rival Viktor Ahn of Russia.

Then, some good news for Canada.

After some deliberation with coaches and his family, Charles announced that he'd be skating for four more years on CBC's The Strombo Show because he "still likes the burn in his legs."

In PyeongChang 2018, Charles won bronze in the Team Relay and left Korea with 5 total Olympic medals over his career.

He returned to Montreal just one medal shy of matching the all-time Canadian record and considered retirement following the Games.

In March 2018, energized by the hometown crowd in the fabled Maurice Richard Arena, Charles skated brilliantly becoming the first Canadian in 20 years to be crowned overall World Champion – winning both the 1000m and 1500m.

It was an illusive title that could have ended a legendary career but with one Olympic medal to chase to complete his collection – Olympic gold in the 1000m – Charles decided to continue through Beijing 2022.

Fittingly, Charles led Team Canada into the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games as the Opening Ceremonies Flag Bearer in search of an enduring legacy.

As a new dad, he was also more motivated than he’s ever been to skate for his baby daughter Violette.

The result?

A sixth Olympic medal alongside his teammates and the perfect ending to a generational story in short track history.