Speed Skate New Brunswick sees increased interest amid Olympic success

Olympic medalist Courtney Sarault has helped increase interest in speedskating in New Brunswick.

Few Maritime households were familiar with the name Courtney Sarault two weeks ago.

After Sarault’s breakout performance at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games that included four medals - two silver and two bronze - there are a lot more people in the region familiar with her and her athletic achievements.

“She’s coming [into the Olympics] as the top ranked skater in the world so she’s kind of delivering on that,” says Derrick MacLeod, Speed Skate New Brunswick‘s technical director and provincial coach. “Most people didn’t really know, outside of the speedskating community, who she really was. But we all knew the potential she had and she’s showing it.”

This is Sarault’s second Olympics after making her debut in the 2022 Beijing games. She is one of three New Brunswick-trained skaters at the Olympic Games. Fredericton’s Rikki Doak is also representing Canada in Milano. Brendan Corey of Fredericton is representing Australia at the games.

Sarault and Doak are the only skaters representing Canada’s short-track team who aren’t from Quebec. MacLeod says it’s a testament to the athletes’ commitment but also shows elite talent can come from Canada’s smallest provinces.

“We get those types of people who never really realized it was an option,” says MacLeod. “They might be in another ice sport and they realize going fast is what their child wants to do.”

He says every Olympic cycle brings increased interest in speedskating to the province, but he expects the surge to be greater this time thanks to Sarault’s historic performance. She is the first Canadian woman to claim four short-track medals at a single Olympics.

“Some people are reaching out now that we have a few weeks left, but they’re looking towards next year,” MacLeod says. “We’ve got seven clubs across the province. All are pretty well established with many years in the program, and we’ve got an excellent learn-to-skate program.”

MacLeod says New Brunswick’s speedskating programs are praised nationally. He says the province has adopted an underdog mentality that has propelled the province’s top athletes, like Sarault, on the world stage.

There are three Olympic-size rinks in the province, located in Fredericton, Dieppe and Campbellton. MacLeod says every club in the province is very welcoming and invites anyone interested to come out and see how fast they can go.

“If they get hooked, they might be the next Courtney Sarault, Rikki Doak or Brendan Corey.”

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