Marie-Ève Drolet

Biography

At Sochi 2014, Marie-Ève Drolet returned to the Olympic Winter Games, winning silver in the 3000m relay, 12 years after she last appeared in Olympic competition at Salt Lake City 2002 where she won a bronze medal as part of the 3000m relay and finished fourth in the 1000m. Drolet had retired from short track speed skating in May 2003 when she was just 21 to explore other interests, such as travelling and her education. For a while she lived on a sailboat in Victoria. She did many odd jobs, including tree planting and working in an aluminum factory.

She completed her BA in Psychology at the University of Montreal in 2005 and then moved on to study acupuncture. In September 2007 she stepped back on the ice and her love of skating immediately returned. She joined a local club in Victoria in January 2008 and then in August moved to Calgary to resume formal training. She competed at two World Cup stops during the 2008-09 season but was unable to crack the Olympic team for Vancouver 2010. Undeterred, Drolet continued to compete.

She won four individual World Cup medals during the 2010-11 season. In 2012 she won her first individual world championship medal since 2001 when she took bronze in the 1500m. Drolet took another break from competition after Sochi 2014, missing the entire next season to give birth to her first child, daughter Zoey, in January 2015. After only competing domestically in 2015-16, she returned to the World Cup circuit in 2016-17, winning two individual medals. Drolet had been a top-ranked junior competitor, winning the overall title at the 2000 and 2001 World Junior Championships before heading to her first Olympic Games at age 20. For three straight years (1999-2001) she was named Speed Skating Canada’s Female Athlete of the Year for short track.

Personal

Getting into the Sport: Started skating at age six to be with her friends… Outside Interests: Earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of Montreal in 2005… Studied acupuncture for two years in Victoria but has not yet completed the program… Currently studying naturopathy by correspondence because it is easier to combine with her speed skating commitments… Enjoys being outdoors in the winter, going ice fishing and snowshoeing… Also enjoys hiking and camping…Odds and Ends: Motto: Nature is the life… Her time in the “real world” made her realize how lucky she was to be an athlete and live that lifestyle and do what she loved… As the oldest member of the national team she is sometimes referred to as the team mother, but says she feels like the older sister… When the other girls on the team need someone to talk to they often go to her…