Kasandra Bradette

Hobbies	Cooking, coffee, animals, hiking in nature with her partner and their dog. (Instagram profile, 16 Oct 2017cafebarista.ca, 29 Jan 2018)
Injuries	She suffered from a back injury during the 2012/13 season. (Athlete, 14 Feb 2016) She missed three months of training in 2011 due to an ankle injury. (Athlete, 14 Feb 2016) In 2007 she began experiencing trouble with spondylolysis, a condition that affects the vertebrae in the back. Also that same year, she suffered from an ankle injury for three weeks. (Athlete, 14 Feb 2016, 10 Dec 2015)
Other sports	She competed in sprinting and long jump at the 2003 and 2005 Quebec Games in Canada. (speedskating.ca, 27 Aug 2015)

Reason for choosing this sport	Her father originally wanted to register her for ice hockey. However, he decided to encourage her to try short track after watching highlights of Canadian skater Marie-Eve Drolet winning gold at the 2000 World Junior Championships in Szekesfehervar, Hungary. She likes the sport as it demands tactics, strength, technique and speed to win a race.
Name of coach	Frederic Blackburn [national], CAN
When and where did you begin this sport?	She began skating in 2000 in Saint-Felicien, QC, Canada.

www.facebook.com/KasandraBradette
twitter.com/KasBradette

Memorable sporting achievement	Competing at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (Facebook page, 20 Aug 2018)
Most influential person in career	Her coaches. (Athlete, 14 Feb 2016)

Club / Team

Les Eclairs : Saint-Félicien, QC, CAN

Hero / Idol	Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, US/Austrian actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Athlete, 02 Feb 2017, 14 Feb 2016)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"Always be the best you can be." (Athlete, 14 Feb 2016)
Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs	She wears special earrings while competing. (olympic.ca, 20 Aug 2017)
Famous relatives	Her partner Samuel Girard has represented Canada in short track. He also competed at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, where he won gold in the 1000m individual event and bronze in the 5000m relay. (Facebook page, 08 Aug 2018; SportsDeskOnline, 01 Oct 2018)
Other information	SKATING COUPLE At the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, she and her partner Samuel Girard both represented Canada in short track skating. Girard said they have been together since 2013. "We met skating in Montreal. She [Kasandra] lived about an hour away from my old town and we met in Montreal. She was in the team and I joined it." The couple enjoy spending time outdoors hiking with their dog, away from sport. "We like taking our dog hiking. We don't watch a lot of sport, except for the Olympics and some other really big events. We're more action and outdoors people," she said. (cafebarista.ca, 18 Jan 2018; Facebook page, 08 Aug 2018; SportsDeskOnline, 01 Oct 2018; isu.org, 31 Oct 2017)