The Olympic legacy of Charles Hamelin, the 'Locomotive de Sainte-Julie'

Charles Hamelin's screams of joy on Wednesday brought back memories of many post-race celebrations Michael Gilday shared with the intense and competitive Canadian short track legend.

Gilday, now retired from speed skating competition, was part of CBC Sports' broadcast coverage of short track at Beijing 2022. That included Hamelin's gold on Wednesday, his fourth Olympic podium in the men's 5,000-metre relay. It was his sixth total medal across five Games, tying him with ex-long tracker Cindy Klassen for the most by a Canadian Winter Olympian.

The relay medal also tied him with women's hockey players Hayley Wickenheiser, Caroline Ouellette and Jayna Hefford for the most gold won by a Canadian at either the Summer or Winter Games with four.

"That is Charles in a nutshell," Gilday said about Hamelin's exclamations during the victory ceremony. "He's extremely passionate and his intensity is unmatched.

"I think that level of intensity is what has made him as great as he is."

The 37-year-old Hamelin, who entered his first competition at age 9, is expected to retire following the upcoming short track world championships in Montreal, near his hometown of Sainte-Julie, Que.

"I think he's still at the top of his game and can draw on a wealth of experience others don't have," Gilday said, "but it's nice to go out on top [with Olympic gold]. It's a fairy-tale ending to a storied short track career."

WATCH | Hamelin makes history in final Olympic short track race:

Gilday, who finished sixth with Hamelin in the men's relay at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia, has admired his former teammate's ability to perform at an elite level every weekend for over 15 years.

"To me, that is truly the mark of excellence," he said. "Everyone's going to know about the Olympic medals, but he never had a weekend off. If we [his teammates] had a bad weekend, he was always there to bring a [positive] result. When I look back on his career, that's what I'll remember most, the consistency."

Hamelin played baseball as a youngster and was introduced to speed skating by his younger brother François, a two-time Olympian with whom he won 2010 relay gold in Vancouver. A third brother, Mathieu, also skated, while their father Yves helped coach at the national level and was high-performance director for Speed Skating Canada between 2006 and 2014.

"Charles is part of a wider family that is short track speed skating in Canada," said CBC Sports' host Scott Russell, host of Olympic Winter Games Primetime during Beijing 2022. "He has staying power and has become an iconic figure in his sport. A fierce competitor devoted to his family and completely aware of the importance of his team."

Yves was glued to his TV in Quebec for Charles' final Olympic race from Beijing along with his son's fiancée, sports journalist Geneviève Lefebvre-Tardif, with whom Charles shares a daughter.

"It's a moment in history and we were feeling the emotion between [Charles and his teammates]. So much work to get there," Yves told CBC, "but now they have the sense of achieving [success].