Women
CAN
Ann-Sophie Bachand
CAN- Date of birth29 Jun 2004
- ProfessionAthlete, Student
- HometownMontreal
- Place of birthSherbrooke
- Start skating / Club She took up the sport at age seven at Sherbrooke Speed Skating Club in Canada, after first starting with figure skating at age six. She also played football like her older sisters, but after several years in both sports she decided to focus on skating in 2018. / CPV Sherbrooke: Canada
- HobbiesFootball, shopping, cooking, watching films and TV series. (quebecormedia.com, 01 Mar 2022; speedskating.ca, 01 Jan 2022)
- LanguagesEnglish, French
- CoachJeffrey Scholten [national], CAN
- General Interest
- Sport Specific Information
"You can be physically injured but if you let yourself become mentally injured then you won't make it." (ici.radio-canada.ca, 21 Feb 2022)
To compete at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. (ici.radio-canada.ca, 21 Feb 2022)
Winning gold in the women's 3000m relay at the 2022 World Junior Championships in Gdansk, Poland. (quebecormedia.com, 01 Mar 2022)
LEAVING HOME
She left her family home in Sherbrooke, QC, Canada, in her fourth year of high school to join the regional training centre in Montreal. She spent a year there before joining Canada's 'Next Gen' team under coach Jeffrey Scholten. "It was the right move for me. Sherbrooke gave me a lot, but at a certain moment I needed to train among the best. Now I train alongside [the likes of] Kim Boutin. In the beginning it was intimidating, but eventually you get used to it. I observe them [the top skaters] a lot. I learn from their experiences. They train hard. The intensity is much higher for Olympic preparation." (ici.radio-canada.ca, 21 Feb 2022)
FINDING HER EVENT
Having competed in the 500m, 1000m, and 1500m, she said in early 2022 that she was still finding which event suits her best. "It's a good thing [competing in three distances]. I'm more of a sprinter than an endurance skater. I love the 500m, but also the 1500m. We are still discovering my strengths." (ici.radio-canada.ca, 21 Feb 2022)
She left her family home in Sherbrooke, QC, Canada, in her fourth year of high school to join the regional training centre in Montreal. She spent a year there before joining Canada's 'Next Gen' team under coach Jeffrey Scholten. "It was the right move for me. Sherbrooke gave me a lot, but at a certain moment I needed to train among the best. Now I train alongside [the likes of] Kim Boutin. In the beginning it was intimidating, but eventually you get used to it. I observe them [the top skaters] a lot. I learn from their experiences. They train hard. The intensity is much higher for Olympic preparation." (ici.radio-canada.ca, 21 Feb 2022)
FINDING HER EVENT
Having competed in the 500m, 1000m, and 1500m, she said in early 2022 that she was still finding which event suits her best. "It's a good thing [competing in three distances]. I'm more of a sprinter than an endurance skater. I love the 500m, but also the 1500m. We are still discovering my strengths." (ici.radio-canada.ca, 21 Feb 2022)
"I always put my right skate on first, even for training." (quebecormedia.com, 01 Mar 2022)
She trains for 20 to 25 hours per week at the Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal, QC, Canada. "In general we train eight times per week, from Monday to Saturday. Sessions last around 90 minutes. We also do two strength sessions each week, as well as aerobics and cycling."
Her parents enrolled her in figure skating before she switched to short track.
Jeffrey Scholten [national], CAN
