2 x (8 x 8 in), oil on canvas, 2009

Nathalie Lambert was Canada’s Chef de Mission for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. She is a pioneer in short track speed skating—first introduced to the Olympic Winter Games in Calgary (1988) as a demonstration sport. Lambert’s team finished third there. In Albertville (1992), short track speed skating was a medal sport for the first time. Lambert’s team won gold. Lambert’s third Olympic appearance, in Lillehammer (1994), yielded two silvers. Lambert won many World Championships, and set many records before retiring from competition (1997). She returned to the Olympic Games as Canada’s Assistant Chef de Mission in Athens (2004), and is a long-standing member of several Halls of Fame: Canadian Olympic, Quebec’s Sports, Canada’s Sports. She has also been named as Athlete of the Year by both the Merite Sportif Quebecois and the Canadian Speed Skating Association. Lambert has been Director of Communications and Marketing at Montreal’s Club Sportif MAA since 1999. She also brings passion for sport and physical activity to motivational speaking, fitness DVDs, and a book. Diagnosed with osteoarthritis, while still speed skating competitively, Lambert became an Honorary Patron of the Arthritis Society of Quebec on retirement. A mother of two, Lambert and her husband live in Montreal.