Athlete profile: Marc Gagnon

Posted: Tue February 3, 1998 at 5:00 PM ET

Athlete notes

The most dominant men's short track skater in recent memory, Gagnon needs only Olympic gold to complete an already awesome collection of medals...the top-ranked skater in the two seasons since the advent of World Rankings in short track, and the world record-holder in the 1,000m, Gagnon has finished no lower than second overall in the World Championships since 1993, winning the title three times (1993,1994, 1996) and finished second twice (1995, 1997)...at his only Olympic Games, Gagnon did not measure up to his usual brilliance but, considering that he had suffered a painful back injury -- a cracked vertebra -- just three months before, his performance was amazing...as an 18 year-old in Lillehammer, Gagnon reached the A-final of the 500 and the 5,000m relay, but finished in fourth and last place in both...not fast enough to qualify for the A-final in the 1,000m, he won the B-final and backed his way into a bronze medal after a pileup in the A-final took out teammate Derrick Campbell and Britain's Nicky Gooch...Gagnon has illustrated the depth of his mission for this year's Olympics by blazing out of the gates...at the Olympic qualifying tournament in the Netherlands in November, Gagnon won both the 500 and 1,000, and helped Canada take first place in the relay...one month later, he dominated the Canadian trials, setting a new 1,000m world record and equaling Italy's Mirko Vuillermin's 500m mark en route to taking first place and securing his position on the Olympic team..."This will help going to Nagano," said Gagnon of his early-season performances. "I'm not looking for anything but gold. This really helps my confidence. I'm not just satisfied with winning but satisfied with the way I won"...after winning the team trials, he added, "I don't think I need to be the team leader because the strength of the Canadian team is that we always help each other out," said Gagnon. "Obviously I'll be able to bring certain dimensions to the team because of my experience. But on the ice we're a team and that won't change at the Olympics"...whereas the World Championships rewards consistency over all distances, one must excel at a given distance and in a particular race at the Olympics...Gagnon's only weakness, his start, is something that could cost him dearly in the shorter Olympic distances..."My start has to be improved," says Gagnon. "I've never been good on starts so I've gotten used to catching up to guys and passing at the end. Sometimes I'm good, but I've worked on it and I can't seem to get it right all the time. It's a little bit hard starting fourth but I'm used to it. I'm usually able to catch up"...Gagnon's dethronement by South Korean Kim Dong-Sung at last year's Worlds, held at the same White Ring that will host the Olympic competition in Nagano, did not come without controversy...he crossed the finish line first in the 1,000m but was disqualified for cross-tracking...he was more steamed about the 3,000m final (a non-Olympic Events), where a win would still have earned him the overall title, but he felt he was wronged by the Korean team's tactics..."The Koreans knew that in order for me to win (the title), I had to win that race," said Gagnon immediately afterwards. "(Kim) just followed me the whole race and the other Korean (Lee Jun-Hwan) led. If he just won on his own, that's all right but if they planned it, I don't think it's fair. It's an individual sport and we try to win by ourselves"...less than one month later, Gagnon set the world record in the 1,000m at the World Team Championships in Seoul, but was still not completely satisfied with his performance..."I've wanted that record for a long time," said Gagnon. "But I was still not totally pleased with how I skated in that race. I had some troubles and could have posted a much better time"...he does believe that the 1,000 and 1,500 (not contested at the Olympics) are his best distances -- "I really like the 1,500 and the 1,000," says Gagnon. "They're pretty long but not too long"...out of all of his successes, Gagnon immediately pinpoints his first World Championship title in 1993 as the most memorable...in what was his first year of international competition, Marc upstaged older brother Sylvain to take the crown in Beijing..."My first world championships was the highlight because my brother was second," says Gagnon. "It was always a dream of ours to compete together"...Marc credits Sylvain, who has become lost in the depth of short track talent on the Canadian team, with having played a significant role in his own success..."He would always give me tips on my skating," says Marc. "If it weren't for these tips, I can say that I wouldn't be here today, though I don't know if I would have gotten these tips from somebody else"...their short track careers have also brought the two brothers much closer together than before..."When we were young, we weren't really close," recalls Marc. "I always wanted to be like him and follow him around since he's five years older. Now, we're the two best friends in the world -- we're more than just brothers"...the brothers began short track at the same time -- Sylvain was eight, and wanted to improve his hockey skating, while Marc was three...their parents, Marcel and Jocelyne, were club coaches in Gagnon's hometown of Chicoutimi, which according to Marc, is "the city in Quebec most known for skating," and also provided Canadian short track with Marc's teammate Frederic Blackburn...the Gagnon parents sacrificed for years in order to give their children the best possible opportunities...the family lived apart for much of 1992, when Jocelyne, who found a new job as a supervisor for a chain of clothing stores, moved in with Sylvain who had been training in Montreal with the Canadian national team...unable to find suitable employment in Montreal, Marcel stayed with Marc in Chicoutimi until the summer of '92, when he found work as a security guard...Marc and Sylvain continue to live with their parents in Montreal...Gagnon's success at a young age has not quenched his desire to continue skating..."I haven't been skating just to win a Worlds," explains Gagnon. "I'm in my 19th season of skating, I've won three World Championships and a bronze medal in the Olympics but I'm going to keep skating"...Canadian national team assistant coach Andrew Barron believes that Gagnon's secret lies in his tremendous hyperactivity..."At a training camp he's all psyched up and shaking before a game of soccer," Barron notes. "That guy has so much energy it's scary. He's so competitive, whether it's tiddlywinks or the World Championships"...on the depth of short track talent in Quebec, Gagnon explains that, "There's a competition circuit in Quebec so you start competing amongst the best from the age of five. It's the early competitive environment -- when you're skating against all of the best, that makes you better and better. There are also good coaches in Quebec"...Gagnon recently begun studying computer programming at a technical school in Montreal and is now a self-described computer addict..."When I got into it, I got into it really good," says Gagnon...he spends much time sending e-mail and checking out web sites on the Internet...he also enjoys playing golf and snowboarding in his free time...he is believed to be seeing Italian star short tracker Marinella Canclini -- they are seen chatting away together on the road in French, though she insists that she only knows Italian...Gagnon's first language is French but began picking up English by carrying an English-language dictionary with him on the short track circuit...he now speaks his second language quite well...