Women
CAN
Danae BLAIS
CAN- Date of birth10 May 1999
- Height1670 CM
- ProfessionAthlete, Coach
- Home townMontreal
- Place of birthChâteauguay
- Start skating / She began skating at age seven in LaSalle, QC, Canada. /
- HobbiesCycling, painting, drawing. (Instagram profile, 26 Sep 2021; speedskating.ca, 01 Apr 2021)
- languagesEnglish, French
- General Interest
- Sport Specific Information
"I try not to put too much pressure on myself, even though I am among the best skaters in my sport. I do a lot of personal work in order not to fall into a trap of performance anxiety. I put my insecurities and fears into perspective and try to enjoy every moment and have fun during the big competitions." (insquebec.org, 09 Feb 2022)
Canadian short track skater Kim Boutin, Russian short track skater Victor An. (speedskating.ca, 01 Apr 2021; Athlete, 13 Nov 2018)
Her brother Cedrik Blais. (Athlete, 12 Dec 2023)
In September 2021 she suffered a concussion during training. Immediately after her recovery, she sustained a cut to her left ankle in a collision with another skater. She then also sprained her right ankle shortly after that. (insquebec.org, 09 Feb 2022; lapresse.ca, 25 Jan 2022)
To compete at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. (Athlete, 12 Dec 2023)
Placing second in the 1000m and third in the 1500m at the 2023 World Cup event in Montreal, QC, Canada. (Athlete, 12 Dec 2023)
MENTAL HEALTH
She experienced anxiety and depression in the two years leading up to the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. "The last two years have been very difficult [speaking in 2022]. I have been through several challenges in my personal life and with my family and this has led me for the first time to symptoms related to anxiety and depression. This affected my athletic performance a lot and I had to learn to ask for help and not be afraid to ask for it. I came out of it stronger and now I try to advocate the best that I can for mental health in sports and personal wellness of athletes." (insquebec.org, 09 Feb 2022)
FURTHER EDUCATION
She has also studied psychology at the University of Quebec in Montreal. (Athlete, 12 Dec 2023)
She experienced anxiety and depression in the two years leading up to the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. "The last two years have been very difficult [speaking in 2022]. I have been through several challenges in my personal life and with my family and this has led me for the first time to symptoms related to anxiety and depression. This affected my athletic performance a lot and I had to learn to ask for help and not be afraid to ask for it. I came out of it stronger and now I try to advocate the best that I can for mental health in sports and personal wellness of athletes." (insquebec.org, 09 Feb 2022)
FURTHER EDUCATION
She has also studied psychology at the University of Quebec in Montreal. (Athlete, 12 Dec 2023)
"My brother was already doing speed skating so I tried it too and liked it."
Sebastien Cros [national], FRA
