Today marks one year to go until Beijing 2022. To celebrate the occasion, Tokyo 2020 takes a look at four Olympians and one Paralympian who we could see at both the Summer and Winter editions of the Games.
Vincent De Haître, Canada, track cycling (Tokyo), speed skating (Beijing)
I think I told myself I could do it at some pointand because I told myself I can do it... well, now if I don't do it, I've just lied to myself. - Vincent De Haître
A mere 180 days separate the end of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and the beginning of the Winter Olympics that will take place next year in Beijing. Not satisfied with one Olympic sport, Canada's Vincent De Haître is aiming to compete in both versions of the Games – first as a track cyclist and then as a speed skater.
Speaking to Tokyo 2020 in August last year, he outlined not only the mammoth task ahead of him, but also the decision-making process that led him to choose endurance cycling over sprint cycling in order to maximise his performance at both Games.
“I had to pick between the sprint programme, which primarily is anything less than 30 seconds, or the endurance programme, which is four minutes above. I tested well for both,” explained the dual-sport Olympian.
“I could have gone in either direction, but I ended up picking the endurance programme because I thought to myself, ‘well, when I want to come back to skating, I'm going to struggle more if I come back from the sprint side'.”
But even though it may seem like there are very few similarities between cycling and skating, the two disciplines have one thing in common: speed.
“On ice, my top speed is like 60km an hour and on the bike, yes, it's higher, but you'll never hold it for much longer. In a race we average close to the same speeds.”
De Haître has already qualified for Tokyo 2020, booking his place on Canada's track cycling team last August. Now he is determined to make sure his dreams of becoming a double Olympian in less than half a year come true – no matter what it takes.
“I think I told myself I could do it at some point,” the multi-talented Canadian explained. “And because I told myself I can do it... well, now if I don't do it, I've just lied to myself.”
