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Post by mtnme on Jun 3, 2009 1:25:45 GMT -8
Athlete Biography: François-Louis TremblayHometown: Alma Date of Birth: 11/13/1980 Current Residence: Montréal Coaches: Derrick Campbell, Stephen Gough, Club: CPV Montréal-International Training Centre: National Short Track Training Centre (Montréal) Years on National Team: 11 years Occupation: Athlete Highlights Won five individual medals during the 07-08 World Cup season including, 2 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze Finished 1st overall at the 2008 National Team Selections #3 2nd in the World in 2007 in the 500m and in the relay Won two silver medals at 2006 Olympics (500m and relay), which gives him 3 olympic medals in his carreer so far Named 2006 Québec Excellence Athlete at the Gala Sport-Québec World Champion in the 500m and in the relay and silver medallist in the 3000m at the 2006 World Championships, where he finished 3rd overall Selected as Speed Skating Canada’s 2006 Male Skater of the Year – Short Track World Champion in the 500m and in the relay and silver medallist in the 1500m at the 2005 World Championships, where he placed 3rd overall Won 3 individual medals on the 2004-2005 world cup circuit Member of gold medal relay team at 2002 Olympics Gold medallist at World Team Championship in 2000, 2001, 2005 and 2007 2000 and 2006 Canadian Champion World Junior Champion in 1998 Quick Facts Started speed skating at the age of 4 Leisure activities are playing guitar and listening to music For more stats on François-Louis, go to his link on Speedskating Canada: www.speedskating.ca/team-page2.cfm?memberID=11567&teamID=146&memType=Athlete
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Post by mtnme on Jun 3, 2009 1:38:17 GMT -8
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Post by mtnme on Jun 4, 2009 9:40:43 GMT -8
Photos of 'Flou's' 500m Silver Medal Win at the 2006 Torino Olympics.Ohno leads with Tremblay and Bedard in hot pursuit, Ahn coming up on the outside. Flou and Eric Bedard tightly behind Apolo Anton Ohno. The Finish: Apolo Anton Ohno- Gold, François-Louis Tremblay- Silver, Ahn Hyun-Soo- Bronze, Eric Bedard- fourth. Victory photos! François-Louis Tremblay, Apolo Anton Ohno and Ahn Hyun-Soo.
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Post by mtnme on Jun 25, 2009 9:31:32 GMT -8
François-Louis with teamate Jonathan Guillmette during the Torino Winter Olympics
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Aug 7, 2009 8:04:13 GMT -8
SHORT TRACK HOPEFUL AIMS FOR DISCRETIONARY SPOTBy Terry Bell, The Province - August 7, 2009 7:44 AMOn his way to a silver medal in the 500-metre final at Turino in 2006, Montreal's Francois-Louis Tremblay (centre) battles Apolo Ohno of the U.S. (front). Photo by: Al Bello, Getty Images files, The ProvinceStarting Sunday, Canada's top short track speed skaters will be on trial at the Pacific Coliseum to determine who gets spots on the 2010 Olympic team. It's an intense, do-or-die series of races, and Montreal's Francois-Louis Tremblay would like nothing more than to be out there elbow-to-elbow fighting for one of the spots. But Tremblay, who suffered a severe ankle sprain in May, has chosen not to race here. Instead, he has asked for a bye on to the team and his fate will be in the hands of a high performance short track committee. "I'm positive and confident, but I'm not assuming anything," Tremblay, who is in Vancouver training with the team, said Thursday. "I don't consider the spot mine until it's really mine. "I would totally prefer to win my own race. Now I rely on the committee. I'm pretty confident that it's going to work out -- but still, it's not in my hands, and that's what is bugging me at this point." But his case looks solid. A silver medallist in both the 500 metres and the relay at the 2006 Olympics in Turino, and the 2008-09 World Cup champion at 500 metres, Tremblay should be a lock for the team. "If we look at the performance for the last three years, Francois-Louis is on the podium nine times out of 10 at 500 metres," said Montreal's Yves Hamelin, short track's national team program director. "If we look at the quality of his recovery and all the commitment from this guy, for sure the committee will evaluate that really closely. I'm not that worried to see him on the team, but we'll wait for what we're going to see on the ice." Tremblay suffered a high ankle sprain while running the stairs during dry land training on Mont Royal. He was off the ice for about two months. He considered racing here, but on the advice of doctors, training staff and coaches, he decided to stay on the sidelines. By racing he risked further injury and this route actually gives him a better shot at making the team. Sixteen men and 16 women have been invited to skate at trials, which run until Aug. 18. A maximum of five men and five women will be selected for the Olympic team, but one berth per gender will be a discretionary choice by the committee. Speed Skating Canada added the discretionary spots for 2010 after seeing two top skaters -- Mathieu Turcotte and Charles Hamelin -- blow it in the 1,000 metres at trials prior to Turino. "We changed the system to make sure that we had the best athletes on the ice," said Yves Hamelin, who's also Charles's dad. "In Turino we had some examples where our best athletes were in the stands. Mathieu Turcotte and Charles Hamelin were in the stands for the 1,000 and they were the two best guys on the previous year's World Cup circuit." All five spots are open on the women's side, but Charles Hamelin has already secured one of the men's berths thanks to his third-place finish at the 2009 world championships. Tremblay could have raced here and hoped to earn the discretionary spot. But that would have been risky. What if another top skater -- and Canada has a boatload of them -- had a bad trial and became a worthy discretionary candidate? Now Tremblay is eligible for the injury bye or the discretionary spot. "I think I have a better chance this way," he said. Olympic selections can be a testy affairs. Sometimes lawyers become involved. But Tremblay said there have been no complaints from teammates. "No, that's the good thing," he said. "I was worried about that but I didn't hear any of that. I think they've reacted pretty well." Yves Hamelin concurs. "There's no doubt about his condition," he said. "We've had no significant comments about that. It's not an issue about it at this time." Racing is open to the public and admission is free. It starts Sunday at 3 p.m., with competition scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 12, Saturday, Aug. 15, Monday, Aug. 17 and Tuesday, Aug. 18. The team will be named on Aug. 26.
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Aug 9, 2009 9:50:25 GMT -8
Another similar article:
Injured Tremblay Skipping Short-Track Trials Matthew Sekeres - Aug 7, 2009 - Globe and Mail
VANCOUVER - Short track speed skater François-Louis Tremblay, the only Canadian male to win an individual medal at the 2006 Turin Olympics, will improve his chances of qualifying for the 2010 Games this week.
The 28-year-old Montrealer will do so by skipping the Canadian trials, which begin Monday at Vancouver's Pacific Coliseum.
Tremblay, who is recovering from a serious ankle injury that is still slowing him down, admits that not skating for his Olympic spot is killing him. But he is also confident that Speed Skating Canada will afford him a "bye" onto the team.
"I would totally prefer to have destiny in my hands," he said yesterday, quick to note that the "bye" is not a formality. "Now, I have to rely on the committee."
Tremblay, who will spend the next week training alongside teammate Charles Hamelin, who has already qualified for the Vancouver Olympics, has applied for an exemption onto the team based on a high ankle sprain that kept him off the ice for nine weeks this spring. He suffered the injury while running down Mount Royal on May 20 during a training session.
"We would've liked him to skate," said Yves Hamelin, national team director for short track. "It's a better process when you have an athlete like François-Louis racing and proving himself ... but he's not able to be competitive."
Tremblay is almost one-half second per lap off his usual pace, which would leave him disadvantaged against the strong Canadian field. He is hoping that a decision about his status comes down when the High Performance Short Track Committee, which determines the makeup of the Olympic team, meets later this month.
By skating, Tremblay would forfeit his case for an exemption. By sitting the competition out, Tremblay has two routes to an Olympic berth.
Speed Skating Canada decided after the last Olympics that it would leave two spots on the team - one male, one female - for "discretionary" selections. To wit, three men's spots and four women's spots are up for grabs (Charles Hamelin has already made the team) next week as the 10-member team is determined.
Yves Hamelin said that the selection process was changed because two 1000-metre specialists - his son Charles and Mathieu Turcotte - were in the stands in Turin, watching inferior skaters compete in a discipline where the duo could have won medals.
"It's to make sure we have the best athletes on the ice and at the right distances," Yves Hamelin said.
Short track is unpredictable because of the amount of contact during the race, and because athletes are frequently disqualified after the fact. Both Hamelin and Turcotte crashed at the trials in Chicoutimi, Que. four years ago.
For Tremblay, the new selection criteria mean he could either be granted a bye onto the team, or he could be the committee's discretionary selection.
"The doctor was not totally comfortable with making me skate, and with the probability of making it worse," he said of his left ankle injury. "I had to face that possibility. I had the whole summer to think about it, and with my performance in the latter years, in the last Olympic cycle, I think I've shown some pretty good results."
Tremblay, who won silver in the 500 metres at the last Olympics, said he will be 100 per cent come the World Cup season in September.
The team will be announced by Aug. 26.
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Post by bubblebuttsbabe on Nov 13, 2009 1:17:47 GMT -8
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FLOU!!! :]
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Post by mtnme on Dec 4, 2009 21:40:15 GMT -8
Flou, WC3 in Montreal, photo courtesy of aaosmts19
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Mar 27, 2010 14:56:07 GMT -8
Who knew? www.vancouversun.com/Canadian+short+track+speed+skating+last+chance+shine/2613970/story.htmlVANCOUVER - The day after the Canadian men’s short track speedskating team was shut out of a winning medal in the 1,000 metres, Charles Hamelin and François-Louis Tremblay entered a ping-pong tournament in the athletes’ village. It was a chance for the athletes to free their minds from the previous night’s disappointment. Relax. Have fun. Blow off a little steam. That was the idea, of course. But when the Canadians stepped up to the table, it soon became clear that they came to win. Hamelin says he took down a couple of long track speedskaters. And Tremblay, who previously defeated Sidney Crosby in straight sets, won the entire thing. “He’s really good,” said Hamelin. “No one can beat him.” There's more to the article (see the link above), but I thought the ping-pong part was fun...
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Nov 17, 2010 23:48:10 GMT -8
Credit for this photo goes to Elena Viviani, Italian World Cup team member – thanks! 500M medalists - World Cup 2 in Quebec (L to R): Wenhao Liang, CHN (silver); Francois-Louis Tremblay, CAN (gold); Francois Hamelin, CAN (bronze) Tags: Wenhao Liang / Francois-Louis Tremblay / Francois Hamelin / Elena Viviani / Short Track Speedskating
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Nov 19, 2010 23:32:55 GMT -8
Men’s 5000M relay gold medal - World Cup 2 in Quebec City ~ Photo Credit: Elena Viviani (used with permission) Tags: Francois-Louis Tremblay / Elena Viviani / Short Track Speedskating
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Nov 23, 2010 21:28:05 GMT -8
Men's 5000M Relay Gold Medal - World Cup 1, Montreal - Oct 22-24, 2010. L to R: Francois Hamelin; Remi Beaulieu; Francois-Louis Tremblay ~ Photo Credit: Elena Viviani (Italian World Cup team) Tags: Francois Hamelin / Remi Beaulieu / Francois-Louis Tremblay / Elena Viviani / Short Track Speedskating
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Nov 26, 2010 18:12:34 GMT -8
Men’s 5000M Relay Bronze Medal – World Cup 1 (Montreal). Francois-Louis Tremblay (left); Travis Jayner (right) ~ Photo Credit: Elena Viviani (Italian World Cup team) Tags: Francois-Louis Tremblay / Travis Jayner / Elena Viviani / Short Track Speedskating
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Sept 19, 2013 13:56:37 GMT -8
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Post by sk8erfan on Sept 19, 2013 14:08:40 GMT -8
François-Louis Tremblay announced today that he is retiring from competition. With 5 Olympic medals, he retires as one of Canada's most decorated male athletes (tied with short track legend Marc Gagnon and runner Phil Edwards). Speed Skating Canada ArticleCanadian Olympic Committee ArticleHe posted this picture on Twitter with the caption: J'ai apprécié chaque moment. / I loved every moment of it. 1984-2013
Congratulations Flou on a fantastic career and best of luck in the future!
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