By Marty Hastings
Kamloops This Week
Canadian short-track speed skater Jessica Hewitt had two strong performances at the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, on Monday, Feb. 10.
The Kamloops product finished second in her heat in the ladies’ 500-metre event, posting a time of 43.447 seconds. Kexin Fan of China was first with a time of 43.356.
Hewitt will race in the quarter-final round on Thursday, Feb. 13. The races begin at 2 a.m.
Area residents should also think about getting up early on Feb. 18, when Hewitt and the Canadian women’s team compete for gold in the 3,000-m relay final. They are scheduled to race at 2:54 a.m.
Hewitt, along with teammates Valerie Maltais, Marianne St. Gelais and Marie-Eve Drolet, placed second in their heat in the semifinal round on Monday.
The Canadian women finished in 4:08.871. Only Korea (4:08.052) was faster.
It appears the 27-year-old is peaking at the right time.
KTW reached her on Facebook on Sunday, Feb. 9.
“I skated the fastest ever in practice today, so it couldn’t be better timing,” Hewitt said.
“I’m really excited.”
Cycling accident
Hewitt had an unfortunate run-in with metal spikes in Sochi on Saturday, Feb. 8.
“I was biking last night back from the rink to go to the dining room and I cut across a pathway and I didn’t see some big metal spikes sticking out of the grass,” she told the media. “So I hit that and fell face-first.”
The cuts on her face were visible at training on Sunday.