“Beast From the East” Courtney Sarault, Leads a New Brunswick Hub in Her Sport

As we find ourselves in the depths of a long winter, a young Moncton, N.B. athlete has raised our spirits by winning four Olympic medals thus far, more than any other Canadian at the Milano-Cortina Winter Games. And, she has kept her girl-next-door demeanor and humility.
 
Like other even better-known athletes, such as Connor McDavid or Sidney Crosby, Courtney has kept up her superstitions going into her challenges, always wearing the same pair of earrings and the same pink scrunchie.  As one sports enthusiast noted, these rituals “reflect confidence rather than fear, and hers is no different.”
 
Notably in her 500-metre event when Courtney came from behind to win her bronze medal, speed skaters need grit and savvy to succeed. Gutting out a great showing is one thing, but her sport involves a great deal of strategy, when to take the lead, when to stay wide, and when to cut inside; how to avoid injury in what is a highly dangerous sport.
 
Especially winning that bronze was “a dream come true”, she says.
 
This doesn’t come overnight in a tough sport. Now 25 years old, Courtney competed at the age of 14 in the 2015 Canada Games, a wonderful training ground for this country’s young athletes in swimming, hockey, rugby or short track.
 
Courteny had her Olympic debut at the Beijing Games in 2022, as a member of the women’s relay team that finished fourth. Those were the COVID games when no families were able to go as spectators.
 
She says that this time in Milano-Cortina with her family members all in the spectator stands has been wonderful.
 
Courtney’s family has also helped her develop her pursuit of excellence.  Her mother, Rhonda, drove her five days a week (a three-hour return road trip) from Moncton to Fredericton to train and compete.
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Moncton is known as the “hub” city of the Maritimes, but in short track speed skating Fredericton has become known as New Brunswick’s “hub” for the sport.
 
This is largely because of Derrick MacLeod who was the high-performance coach for the group of skaters in the capital city. MacLeod is now the provincial director and coach for Speed Skate New Brunswick. Three skaters from that group are now competing for Canada at the Milano-Cortina Games.

Courtney’s father, Yves Sarault is a former NHL hockey player and Courtney was born when Yves was playing for the Grand Rapids, Michigan Griffins in the International Hockey League (IHL).
 
Yves Sarault played 106 games in the NHL including for the Montreal Canadiens, but he also played in Europe for Switzerland, Germany, and Austria.
 
The Against the Flow blog advises that it may be best not to tell U.S. President Donald Trump that Canada’s speed skating phenom was born in the United States! But as Canadians and New Brunswickers we can crow about Courtney’s two silver and two bronze medals.
 
The skate to the top for Courtney has not been all roses and rainbows.  At one point she suffered a concussion injury, and for a while developed a tendency to “overtrain.”
 
Courteny credits her older brother and only sibling, Chris, for helping her develop balance in her training while at the same time being a “very competitive person.”
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Even at a young age, she convinced her parents to have a pink racing suit made for her so she could be “a pink suit girl.”
 
She got the bug, no question. Her brother Chris, says her doing so well at the Olympics is “chaotic in the best way possible.”
 
Thanks to Karissa Donkin of CBC sports, who has provided background for this column in her excellent writing and broadcasting about the Games.