Two-time Olympic medallist Dion retires from Canada's short-track speedskating team
Pascal Dion of Canada skates during the 1,000-metre quarterfinal race at the ISU World Cup Short Track Speedskating event in Montreal, Sunday, October 22, 2023. Dion has retired from Canada's short-track speedskating team after a 10-year career that included two Olympic medals. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
MONTREAL — Pascal Dion has retired from Canada's short-track speedskating team after a 10-year career that included two Olympic medals.
The 29-year-old from Montreal announced his decision in a Speed Skating Canada release Wednesday.
Dion helped Canada win gold in the men’s 5,000-metre relay at 2022 Beijing Olympics alongside teammates Charles Hamelin, Steven Dubois, Jordan Pierre-Gilles and Maxime Laoun.
He was also a member of the relay team that won bronze at the Pyeongchang Games in 2018.
Dion also won five world championship medals over his career. He was second overall at the 2022 world championships in Montreal after winning gold in the 3,000 metres, silver in the 1,500 and bronze in the 5,000 relay.
He made his World Cup debut in 2015 and won 36 career medals (15 gold, 11 silver, 10 bronze) on the circuit.
“People often say that high-performance sport is a big sacrifice, but I never saw it like that," Dion said in the release. "I always had fun doing what I was doing, and I count myself lucky to have had these opportunities. I'm happy with what I've experienced and I'm happy with all the results I've had, especially the last few years where I managed to shine a little brighter in individual distances."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2024.
The Canadian Press