Double Olympic medalist Pascal Dion has made the decision to hang up his skates and retire from Canada’s short track speed skating program following an impressive 10-year international career that saw him reach the top of the podium on the Olympic, World Championship and World Cup stages.

The 29-year-old Dion helped Canada win gold in the men’s 5000m relay at Beijing 2022, alongside teammates Charles Hamelin, Steven Dubois, Jordan Pierre-Gilles and Maxime Laoun. He was also a member of the bronze medal winning relay team four years earlier at PyeongChang 2018, reaching the podium with Hamelin, Samuel Girard and Charle Cournoyer.

“I didn’t find the decision to retire too difficult because it was truly my decision and I felt that I was at that point in my career. It’s been a while – at least a year and a half – that I’ve had difficulty finding long-term goals in sport. I still love skating but doing it at a competitive level and giving 100% during training is another thing. When I did my internship last year, I found it encouraging to start something new and see long-term goals I could achieve, which certainly influenced my decision to stop skating a little.”

Dion first represented Canada internationally at the 2015 Winter Universiade in Granada, where his highlight was a fourth-place finish in the 1500m. He made his World Cup debut that same season and has gone on to win a total of 36 medals (15 gold, 11 silver, 10 bronze), including 12 in individual distances (2 gold, 6 silver, 4 bronze).

A relay specialist earlier on in his career – as evident by his 24 medals across the men’s and mixed gender disciplines – the former member of the Pointe-aux-Trembles Speed Skating Club had a breakthrough in individual distances following the COVID-19 pandemic, capturing four medals and claiming the overall 1000m World Cup title during the 2021-22 season. Dion won five more medals in 2022-23 and finished second overall in the 1000m rankings. He also ranked in the top-10 of the Crystal Globe standings for best overall skater in both 2023 (4th) and 2024 (9th).

The Montreal native reached the World Championships podium on five occasions throughout his career, which includes earning the title of vice-champion on home ice in Montreal in 2022 after winning silver in the 1500m, bronze in the 5000m relay and crossing the line first in the 3000m Superfinal. He also captured three career medals at the Four Continents Championships, including 1000m silver and 500m bronze in 2023.

“People often say that high performance sport is a big sacrifice, but I never saw it like that. 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. Of course I’m going to miss competing, especially the team events, but the hardest part will be not spending all my time at the rink with my friends. It’s going to be very hard to move on from that.”

Among his many accolades, Dion was named Speed Skating Canada’s Short Track Rising Star in 2017 and brough home the Marc Gagnon Award for Male Short Track Skater of the Year in 2023.

“My coaches have made a big difference throughout my career. People like Marc-André Monette and Annie Sarrat at the club in Pointes-aux-Trembles, Marc Gagnon at CRCE, as well as Derrick Campbell and Laurent Daignault with the national team have really contributed to my success. A huge thanks as well to my mom and dad, who were present during almost all of my competitions. Parents are the biggest sponsors that a high-level athlete can have, and I am grateful for that. And I can’t forget my fiancée Frédérique, who supported me as I pursued my dreams on the ice and who continues to encourage me to achieve great things off the ice.”

A positive presence both on and off the ice during his tenure with the national program, Dion leaves high performance sport with a clear vision for his post-skating career. Recipient of the Peter Williamson Memorial Bursary for speed skating student-athletes in 2017, he will continue his studies in finance at Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business with the hopes of one day working in that same field.

Media Contact:
Alain Brouillette
abrouillette@speedskating.ca
613-601-2630