Catriona Lemay Doan

Speedskating

Le May or LeMay? Hyphen or no hyphen before Doan?

Catriona LeMay Doan, the world’s fastest female on ice, had just won Canada’s first Olympic gold medal in women’s speedskating, and the only revealing bit of information left to learn was how she spelled her name.

As for her effortless win in the 500 meters on Saturday, that seemed to be a foregone conclusion.

Ever since she slipped on the revolutionary clap skates, no one has dominated the sprints like LeMay Doan (no space or hyphen, please).

In six World Cup events this season, she has five golds and one silver. She became the first woman to break 38 seconds in the 500 meters on Nov. 22, and set the world record three more times since.

Nothing changed at the M-Wave, where LeMay Doan handily beat teammate Susan Auch and set an Olympic record for the second straight day with a time of 38.21 seconds.

“I’m proud of the medal, and of Canada,” LeMay Doan said.

The gold medal secured, she hugged Auch as the two skated side-by-side around the oval, their skates clacking along the way.

It was a far cry from just one year ago, when LeMay Doan was ranked seventh in the world, and Auch, 31, was trying to recover from knee surgery. With the clap skates, LeMay Doan has been virtually unbeatable. Her only World Cup loss this year was to Auch.

“I think I’m more efficient on the clap skates than traditional skates,” LeMay Doan conceded.

Still, she bristled at the notion that the hinged blade is what separates her from the rest of the sprinters. She points to her technique, as well as powerful thighs that propel her around the oval in record time.

“I don’t think you can skate 37.5 (her world-record time) on the claps and not skate close to that on traditional skates,” she said. “The biggest thing is the improvement in my technique.

“For me, the experience and work of the last two years came together at the right time.”