Marc Gagnon (born May 24, 1975) is a Canadian former short track speed skater. He is a four-time Overall World Champion for 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1998, and winner of three Olympic gold medals.

Biography

Born in

Chicoutimi Chicoutimi ( , ) is the most populous borough (arrondissement) of the city of Saguenay in Quebec, Canada. It is situated at the confluence of the Saguenay and Chicoutimi rivers. During the 20th century, it became the main administrative and ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Gagnon started his Olympic career in 1994, when he had already won the 1993 World Championships. He won a bronze in the 1000 m event. Four years later, in Nagano, Japan, Gagnon won a gold medal with the Canadian relay team. The 2002

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

Games proved to be Gagnon's best Olympics, with a total of three medals. A bronze in the inaugural 1500 m event, and two golds; in the 500 m and again as a part of the relay team. Even his disqualification in the 1000 m was memorable, as it was the first of an improbable series of events that led to Australian Steven Bradbury winning arguably the most unlikely gold medal in Olympic history. Winning a total of five medals in three consecutive Winter Games made him the most decorated Canadian athlete in Winter Olympic history until 2006. He has now been overtaken by long track speed skater Cindy Klassen, long track speed skater

Clara Hughes Clara Hughes (born September 27, 1972) is a Canadian cycle sport, cyclist and speed skating, speed skater who has won multiple Olympic Games, Olympic medals in both sports. Hughes won two bronze in the 1996 Summer Olympics and four medals (one g ...

and short track speed skater

Charles Hamelin Charles Hamelin (born April 14, 1984) is a Canadian retired short track speed skater. In a competitive career that spanned nearly twenty years on the international circuit, Hamelin participated in five Winter Olympic Games (2006, 2010, 2014, 2 ...

, who each have a total of 6 medals. Tied with track and field athlete Phil Edwards and fellow short track speed skater François-Louis Tremblay, he is one of the five most decorated Canadian athletes in all Olympic Games. Gagnon won his World Championships in 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1998. He is the first man to have become a four-time Overall World Champion. In addition, he finished 2nd twice, and third once. In 2007, Gagnon was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame and inducted into

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canada, it serves as a hall of fame and mu ...

in 2008.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gagnon, Marc 1975 births Living people Canadian male speed skaters Canadian male short-track speed skaters Olympic gold medalists for Canada Olympic bronze medalists for Canada Olympic short-track speed skaters for Canada Olympic medalists in short-track speed skating Short-track speed skaters at the 1994 Winter Olympics Short-track speed skaters at the 1998 Winter Olympics Short-track speed skaters at the 2002 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 1994 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 1998 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 2002 Winter Olympics Sportspeople from Saguenay, Quebec 20th-century Canadian sportsmen World Short Track Speed Skating Championships medalists