Myriam Bedard

In the summer of 1998, Bedard decided to quit biathlon and become a long track speed skater. At the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, other Canadian athletes suggested that she might be good at speed skating. She competed for the first time during that summer. Bedard had planned to train for two years to see how well she could do, and if she could make the national team. While she had great strength and endurance because of her biathlon training, Bedard needed to improve her mental fitness and her speed skating technique. While she raced in the 500, 1500, and 3000 meter races at the Canadian Long Track Sprint Championship in 1999, it was decided that 3000 would be her best racing option. After years of training as a biathlete, Bedard enjoyed the reduced training of speed skating.