Canadian speed skater fights back tears after first Olympic race without her mom
Competing in the Olympics is a meaningful moment for any athlete participating.
However, the Milano Cortina Olympics meant something even more to Carolina Hiller-Donnelly.
The 28-year-old speed skater is competing in her first Winter Olympics in Milan, and she’s doing so with a heavy heart.
On March 31, 2025, Hiller-Donnelly’s mom passed away from endometrial cancer.
And, after her first Olympic race on Tuesday, Hiller-Donnelly was overcome with emotion.
“I think it’s going to take a while for it to sink in,” Hiller-Donnelly said while fighting back tears.
“I just don’t know really how to describe it right now,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking that she’s not here.”
The Prince George, B.C. native previously explained that she nearly quit speed skating four years ago, before her mom convinced her otherwise.
“My mom was someone who really pushed me just to try for one more year, just try again,” Hiller-Donnelly said in an interview last year. “She’s always known what I’ve been capable of.”
Her mom was right, as Hiller-Donnelly made her Olympic debut on Tuesday. She finished 26th overall in the 1000-metre long-track speed skating event.
For the first-time Olympian, she was overcome with emotion after competing.
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“She knew that I would be here,” Hiller-Donnelly said. “We talked about it so much in her last couple weeks of life.”
Last year, Hiller-Donnelly skipped out on the World Cup championships to be by her mother’s side before she passed.
“She was just like, ‘you’re going, you’re doing this, you’re going to be there,'” the Olympian said.
“It’s what I held onto this whole year, and it’s been such a struggle,” she said. “The beginning of the year was so hard, and racing was so hard without her.”
“I thought, I don’t know if I can. I really don’t know if I can race without her.”
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Despite racing with a heavy heart, Hiller-Donnelly did help Canada win gold in the team sprint event during the 2025 Four Continents Speed Skating Championships.
“I think her way of being with me is strength that she brings that I can feel,” Hiller-Donnelly said. “I feel her here. I feel her at every start line. I think that’s her way of communicating with me.”