Kim Boutin (; born December 16, 1994) is a Canadian

short track speed skater Short-track speed skating is a form of competitive ice speed skating. In competitions, multiple skaters (typically between four and six) skate on an oval ice track with a length of . The rink itself is long by wide, which is the same size as a ...

. Boutin won silver in the 1,000 m and bronze in the 500 m and 1,500 m events at the

2018 Winter Olympics , nations = 93 , athletes = 2,922 (1,680 men and 1,242 women) , events = 102 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = , closing = , opened_by = President Moon Jae-in , cauldron = Kim Yun-a , stadium = Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium , winte ...

at Pyeonchang,

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. She was the first Canadian female short track speed skater to win three individual Olympic medals in a single Olympics and the first Canadian woman to win an Olympic medal in the 1,500 m. As a result of her three medal performance she was named the

flag bearer A standard-bearer, also known as a flag-bearer is a person (soldier or civilian) who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as a f ...

for Canada at the closing ceremonies for the 2018 Winter Olympics. Boutin has also won junior and senior world championships and World Cup medals. On November 3, 2019, she set a new world-record time of 41.936 seconds in the women's 500m event, becoming the first woman to skate the 500 in under 42 seconds.

Career

2018 Winter Olympics

Boutin participated as part of Canada's team at the

. She came in 4th in the Women's 500 m, but following the judge's disqualification of South Korean

Choi Min-jeong Choi Min-jeong (Hangul: 최민정; born 9 September 1998) is a South Korean short track speed skater. She is a three-time Olympic Champion (2018, 2022), a four-time World Champion (2015, 2016, 2018, 2022), Four Continents Champion (2020), and ...

who finished 2nd in a photo finish, Boutin was awarded the bronze. Reports initially suggested the disqualification was due to contact with race winner

Arianna Fontana Arianna Fontana OMRI (born 14 April 1990) is an Italian short track speed skater, who has won eleven Olympic medals among these two gold medals in the 500m short track, one at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang and the second one at the 20 ...

but were later stated to be due to earlier contact with Boutin. The following day, it was announced that Boutin had been receiving negative comments from South Koreans, including reports of death threats. The

Canadian Olympic Committee The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC; french: Comité olympique canadien) is a private, non-profit organization that represents Canada at the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is also a member of the Pan American Sports Organization ...

took the threats very seriously and the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...

were investigating the incidents. It was an emotional and painful experience for the skater, and upon receiving her medal, she was photographed in tears. She said later of it all that "it was pretty tough. I'm a sensitive person." Boutin started in the 1,500 m heats with the threats still looming over her. She said that "of course, it scared me, and just after my warm-up, I cried. I cried a lot because I was scared. But I have a pretty awesome team behind me." She would put that fear behind her in the final of the 1,500 m when she skated out in front and led the pack until the second last lap when she was passed by Choi but hung on for the bronze medal. This was her second individual medal of the games and made her the first female Canadian short track speed skater to win two individual medals in a single Olympics. Boutin would go on to win silver in the 1,000m race a few days later, earning a medal in all three individual distances. The Canadian team made the relay finals but after being tripped up by the Korean team and the chaos that followed the Canadian women finished off the Olympic relay podium for the first time ever. As a result of her three individual short track medals, the first time ever by a Canadian female short track speed skater, Boutin was named the

for the closing ceremonies.

2022 Winter Olympics

On January 18, 2022, Boutin was named to Canada's 2022 Olympic team. At the Olympics, Boutin won the bronze medal in the 500 metres event, matching her performance from four years prior. Later in the season, Boutin would win a silver medal in the 500 m and 1500 m at the

2022 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships The 2022 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships were the 46th edition, held from April 8 to 10, 2022 at Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal, Canada. World Short Track Speed Skating Championships have been contested since 1976. Due to the Co ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Boutin, Kim 1994 births Living people Canadian female speed skaters Canadian female short track speed skaters Olympic short track speed skaters for Canada Olympic medalists in short track speed skating Olympic silver medalists for Canada Olympic bronze medalists for Canada Short track speed skaters at the 2018 Winter Olympics Short track speed skaters at the 2022 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 2018 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 2022 Winter Olympics Sportspeople from Sherbrooke World Short Track Speed Skating Championships medalists 21st-century Canadian women