Courtney Lee Sarault was born on April 24, 2000, in Grand Rapids, Michigan — not because she’s American, but because her father was playing hockey there at the time. That detail says a lot about her upbringing. Sports were never a career option she discovered later in life. She grew up inside them.
She is 25 years old, a Canadian short track speed skater from Moncton, New Brunswick, and as of February 16, 2026, a three-time Olympic medallist at the Milano-Cortina Winter Games. She won silver in the women’s 1,000-metre short track at the 2026 Olympics, coming one-tenth of a second behind Dutch skater Xandra Velzeboer, making it her third medal of the Games.
Her journey from a seven-year-old in a hot pink suit in New Brunswick to an Olympic podium in Milan is a story built on family influence, careful development, setbacks, and a genuine love for the sport that has never looked manufactured.
Her Family and Where She Comes From
Sarault was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where her father, former NHL player Yves Sarault, was playing professional hockey at the time. She grew up in Moncton, New Brunswick, as the daughter of Yves Sarault and was exposed to winter sports from an early age due to her father’s career.
Her father Yves Sarault played in the NHL and is originally from Montreal, Quebec. He is of French-Canadian background, which explains the Sarault surname. Her mother’s name is Rhonda Sarault, who has been publicly visible throughout the 2026 Olympics, watching her daughter from the stands in Milan.
Courtney Sarault’s mom, Rhonda, and brother, Chris, watched as the Moncton short-track skater claimed bronze in the women’s 500-metre race.
Her older brother Chris has been a significant presence in her life beyond just watching from the stands. She credits older brother Chris with making her a really competitive person and pushing her from a young age. That sibling rivalry shaped her competitive instincts in ways that formal coaching can’t always replicate.
The family settled in Moncton, a city in New Brunswick with a strong bilingual community. Despite the French-Canadian surname and New Brunswick’s French-speaking population, Courtney grew up speaking primarily English and has conducted all her interviews and team conversations in English. She has described struggling with French during her early training years in Montreal.
Childhood and the Pink Suit Story
Courtney Sarault began skating at age seven. She became known as the “pink suit girl” thanks to the bright hot-pink speed-skating suit she insisted her parents have custom-made for her.
That detail isn’t just a fun anecdote. It reveals something about her personality — a quiet stubbornness and a clear sense of who she is. She knew what she wanted and got it, even at age seven.
That pink connection never really left her. She always wears the same earrings and the same pink scrunchie when she races. Superstitions in sport often reflect confidence rituals rather than fear, and hers is no different.
Sarault began training in short track speed skating at age seven in Moncton. Moncton remains her hometown and has recognized her achievements, including her induction into the city’s Sports Wall of Fame in 2022.
Education
Courtney Sarault has been associated with Concordia University since 2018, where she has pursued higher education while competing as a full-time professional short track speed skater on Canada’s national team. This arrangement allows her to balance academic commitments alongside what has become one of the most demanding competitive schedules in the sport.
Specific details about her degree program have not been widely publicized, as she keeps most non-skating aspects of her life relatively private.
Junior Career and Early Development
Sarault’s junior career was exceptional. She competed at the 2015 Canada Games at age 14 and appeared at the 2017 World Junior Championships before her real breakthrough came a year later.
She had her breakout moment at the 2018 World Junior Championships, where she finished second overall after winning two silver medals in the 1000m and 1500m. She also captured gold with the 3000m relay team. Sarault was named Short Track Rising Star of the Year by Speed Skating Canada.
This recognition mattered. Being named Rising Star in a country as competitive as Canada in short track — historically dominated by Quebec-based skaters — was a genuine statement. She wasn’t just a good junior from New Brunswick. She was beating Quebec’s best.
She began believing she could compete at the Olympics after winning medals at the 2018 World Junior Championships. That belief became the foundation everything else was built on.
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Health Setbacks and Resilience
Not everything ran smoothly. In 2019, Sarault first experienced symptoms of overtraining that forced her to stop all physical activity for months. The comeback was difficult both physically and mentally, but she returned and quickly regained her World Cup form.
The overtraining issue resurfaced years later. She had missed the 2024 Canadian Championships while recovering from a concussion. She was also dealing with the effects of overtraining, which made the concussion a blessing in disguise as she was forced to take time off.
Her mother Rhonda has spoken about Courtney’s mental toughness during these periods. “She just doesn’t quit… it’s unbelievable her resilience,” Rhonda said.
That resilience showed up again and again — not just through injuries, but through Beijing 2022, where she competed in multiple events without reaching an individual podium. Coming away from your first Olympics without a medal when you’ve been one of the world’s best skaters stings. She came back and got better.
Senior Career and World Stage
Since joining the World Cup circuit to kick off the 2018-2019 season, Sarault has been one of the country’s most successful female skaters, earning five individual distance medals, along with six in the women’s and mixed gender relays.
At the 2021 World Championships, Sarault finished second overall behind Suzanne Schulting; she won 1500m silver and 1000m bronze at the only international short track event of the season. Finishing second in the world at age 20, against a field that included seasoned Olympic champions, announced her clearly as a future medal contender.
She also received the Nathalie Lambert Award as Female Short Track Athlete of the Year from Speed Skating Canada in 2021, 2023, and 2025 — becoming the first New Brunswick native ever to claim the honour.
The 2025-26 Season and Crystal Globe
The season leading into the 2026 Olympics was the best of her career. The 2025-26 ISU Short Track World Tour marked a breakthrough season for Courtney Sarault, culminating in her first career ISU Crystal Globe as the top overall women’s skater. She topped the standings and became the first Canadian woman to claim the overall World Tour title. She earned nine individual medals across the season’s events, comprising five gold, three silver, and one bronze.
Arriving in Milan as the World Tour champion and reigning world champion in the 1000 metres, the 25-year-old from Moncton owned this distance on the World Cup tour this season, winning three of the four races and taking silver in the other.
The 2026 Olympics in Milan
The 2026 Milano-Cortina Games became Sarault’s defining moment on the biggest stage.
Her first medal came in the mixed team relay. Canada claimed its first silver medal of the Winter Games with Kim Boutin, Courtney Sarault, William Dandjinou and Félix Roussel finishing second in the short-track speed skating mixed relay.
Then came her individual bronze in the 500 metres — a distance she has openly said isn’t her strongest event. In the final, Sarault started in the fourth lane and spent the first three laps trailing the pack in fourth place. It wasn’t until the final lap that Sarault moved to the outside to give herself a shot to pass Dutch skater Selma Poutsma. She got the blade across the line with half a second to spare.
Courtney Sarault became the first Canadian, outside the province of Quebec, to win an individual Olympic short track speed skating medal. For New Brunswick — a province not traditionally known as a short track powerhouse — this was a historic moment.
Then came the 1000 metres on February 16, 2026. She started the race out front, holding her lead until the closing laps when Velzeboer slid into second, then first. But Sarault held the position, accelerating out of every corner with a finish time of 1:28.523, right behind Velzeboer’s 1:28.437. Silver. Her third medal of the Games.
According to the official Olympics results, her 2026 medal haul stands at silver in the 1000m, bronze in the 500m, and silver in the mixed team relay. She still has the women’s relay event remaining.
Personal Life and Interests
Courtney Sarault keeps her romantic life private. There is no publicly confirmed information about a partner or relationship. She has not spoken about this aspect of her life in verified media appearances, and it would be speculation to suggest otherwise.
What she has shared publicly is a personality that extends well beyond skating. She enjoys cooking and baking, and tries to play other sports such as rugby in the offseason. These details paint a picture of someone grounded enough to switch off from high-performance sport — a skill that often separates athletes who last from those who burn out.
Her family remains central to her identity. Her parents and brother Chris travelled to Milan to watch her compete, and it’s been just as special for her family, who is in Italy to watch her every stride on the ice.
She has spoken about wanting her success to inspire future generations of New Brunswick athletes. After her win, she told CBC Sports that she hopes it will inspire future generations of athletes from New Brunswick.
That desire to be a role model — particularly for skaters from outside Quebec in a sport where Quebec has historically dominated — reflects a maturity that goes beyond competition results.
Physical Profile
Specific height and weight measurements for Sarault have not been officially published. She carries an athletic, lean build suited to short track, a discipline that demands explosive acceleration, technical precision, and the ability to hold position in tight pack racing at high speed.
Her skating style combines tactical awareness with genuine speed. She is comfortable leading from the front — as she demonstrated in the 1000m final — but also capable of strategic positioning within the pack. The 500m bronze proved she can adapt when her planned approach is taken away from her.
Net Worth and Income Source
Sarault’s net worth is not publicly confirmed. Short track speed skating, while prestigious within Olympic sport, does not generate the commercial income of mainstream professional sports. Canadian national team athletes receive funding through Sport Canada’s carding system, which provides financial support based on performance rankings.
Her income sources include federal athlete funding, Speed Skating Canada support, World Cup prize money, and potentially brand partnerships and sponsorships following her growing international profile. The 2026 Olympics and her Crystal Globe title have significantly raised her visibility, which typically translates into more endorsement opportunities.
Given the income realities of Olympic speed skating in Canada, estimates of her net worth would be speculative. What’s clear is that her career earnings have been built on performance — not marketing or celebrity.
Overview
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Courtney Lee Sarault |
| Date of Birth | April 24, 2000 |
| Age | 25 years old (as of 2026) |
| Place of Birth | Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA |
| Hometown | Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Sport | Short Track Speed Skating |
| Father | Yves Sarault (former NHL player) |
| Mother | Rhonda Sarault |
| Sibling | Chris Sarault (older brother) |
| Education | Concordia University (since 2018) |
| 2026 Olympic Medals | Silver (1000m), Bronze (500m), Silver (Mixed Relay) |
| World Tour | Crystal Globe champion (2025-26 season) |
| Personal Trademark | Pink scrunchie and same earrings at every race |
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