Kim Boutin

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Reason for choosing this sport	Her brother was already involved in skating and Boutin wanted to follow him. "I love the sport because you can always improve and do better."
When and where did you begin this sport?	She began skating at age six in Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
Club / Team	Club de Patinage de Vitesse de Sherbrooke [CPVS]: Canada
Training Regime	She trains at the National Training Centre in Montreal, QC, Canada.
Name of coach	Sebastien Cros [national], FRA; Marc Gagnon [national], CAN

Memorable sporting achievement	Setting a world record in the 500m in 2019 in Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America. (Athlete, 05 Dec 2019)
Milestones	She became the first short track skater representing Canada to win three individual medals at a single edition of the Olympic Winter Games by claiming bronze medals in the 500m and 1500m and a silver medal in the 1000m at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang. (SportsDeskOnline, 01 Oct 2018; plus.lapresse.ca, 05 Jul 2018; OIS, 17 Feb 2018)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"Leave room for the artist in you." (Athlete, 08 Nov 2017)
Other information	COMPETITION BREAK She took time away from competition during the 2020/21 season, and did not participate at the 2021 World Championships in Dordrecht, Netherlands. She said she was prioritising her preparations for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. "I made the choice not to compete at worlds this season [2020/21]. It's a totally considered decision and I'm convinced it's the right one. We've had a rollercoaster year with the pandemic and it was a good time to step back. My goal is clear - I want to be at the top of my mental and physical fitness for the Olympics in 2022 and I am confident that the plan we are putting in place will get me there. I think that break has done me good both physically and mentally." (schaatsen.nl, 30 Aug 2021; passionpvss.blogspot.com, 16 Feb 2021; Instagram profile, 16 Feb 2021) STRUGGLING WITH MOTIVATION She questioned her desire to continue pursuing the sport following the retirement of her international teammate Samuel Girard in May 2019. Girard had won a gold medal at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, but quit short track after deciding he was happy with what he had achieved in the sport. His choice affected Boutin, who is two years older than her former teammate, and she began to question her commitment to short track. National coach Frederic Blackburn eventually talked her out of retirement, and the pair decided she would benefit from some time training in the Netherlands. "It's normal to have other goals, and for myself, I feel sometimes that I want to be with my family more, or that I want to do something else with my life. I needed to reconnect with myself. Did I want to continue speed skating? Did I have something more to [accomplish]? [In the end] I just needed to change my routine. It was a hard thing losing my teammate [Girard], and I wanted to know what the goals are for people who are the best in other countries. What are they doing to challenge themselves?" (cbc.ca, 08 Nov 2019) ONLINE ABUSE AT OLYMPICS She received online abuse and death threats after winning a bronze medal in the 500m at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. Korean skater Choi Min-Jeong had been disqualified after the two made contact during the race. Boutin's social media accounts were temporarily closed, and Korean police opened an investigation. She saw Min-Jeong the day after the race in the cafeteria, and the two exchanged a hug which helped her overcome the incident. "She [Min-Jeong] asked me if I was okay. She was surprised to see me, but also pleased. She really seemed empathetic towards me. All the Korean [team] greeted me after that." Korean police ultimately tracked down three youths responsible for the threats, but Boutin declined press to charges, instead asking police to deliver to the youths a letter she had written explaining the impact of their threats. (plus.lapresse.ca, 05 Jul 2018; bbc.com, 14 Feb 2018; nationalpost.com, 17 Feb 2018)
Ambitions	To compete at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (plus.lapresse.ca, 05 Jul 2018)
Hero / Idol	Canadian short track skater Marianne St-Gelais. (olympic.ca, 20 Aug 2017)
Awards and honours	She received the 2020 Nathalie Lambert Award from Speed Skating Canada which recognises the Canadian Short Track Female Athlete of the Year. She also received the award in 2018. (speedskating.ca, 04 Sep 2020) She was named the 2018 Female Winter Athlete of the Year at the Canadian Sports Awards. (globalnews.ca, 21 Sep 2018) She was flag bearer for Canada at the closing ceremony of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (OIS, 25 Feb 2018) She received the 2015 Short Track Rising Star Award from Speed Skating Canada. (sirc.ca, 28 Oct 2015)
Injuries	She missed the 2020 Four Continents Championships in Montreal, QC, Canada, due to a knee injury. She also decided to withdraw from the 2020 World Cup event in Dordrecht, Netherlands, in order to rest and prepare for the world championships in Seoul, Republic of Korea, the following month. The world championships were eventually cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (cbc.ca, 11 Feb 2020; isu.org, 09 Feb 2020; isu.org, 16 Apr 2020) She sustained a back injury in 2016 that kept her out of action for six months. (Athlete, 05 Dec 2019, 08 Nov 2017) She was unable to skate for several months during the 2014/15 season because of a back injury. (Athlete, 10 Dec 2015)