Alexandra Paul, a figure skater from Canada who competed in the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, was killed in a car crash last week in which her infant son was injured, officials said.
Ms. Paul, 31, was traveling with her son on a county road in Melancthon Township in rural Ontario on Tuesday, when a tractor-trailer crashed into a line of cars that had stopped in a construction zone, according to the police and a statement from the Olympic Games.
The Ontario Provincial Police said in a statement that officers responded at 3:10 p.m. to a report of a serious crash involving seven vehicles in Melancthon, about 65 miles northwest of Toronto.
Several passenger vehicles had stopped in a construction zone when a tractor-trailer entered the zone and crashed into the rear of the line of vehicles, the police said.
A 31-year-old woman from Barrie, Ontario, was pronounced dead at the scene and her infant was taken by ambulance to a hospital with “non-life-threatening injuries,” according to the Provincial Police, which said it does not release or confirm the identities of people killed in traffic accidents.
Three other people were injured in the crash, including a 67-year-old man who was taken to a hospital for serious injuries and later flown to a trauma center, the police said.
The investigation was continuing and no charges had been filed, the police said on Monday, adding that they were asking for witnesses and dashcam footage.
Skate Canada, the national governing body for figure skating, released a statement on Friday calling Ms. Paul “not only an accomplished athlete but also a true role model for aspiring skaters, demonstrating the values of resilience, perseverance and sportsmanlike conduct.”
“During her illustrious career,” the statement said, Ms. Paul and her partner, Mitchell Islam, “won multiple international medals, claimed three Canadian Championship medals and competed at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Her commitment to excellence was matched only by her warmth and kindness, which endeared her to fellow athletes, coaches and fans alike.”
Ms. Paul and Mr. Islam finished in 18th place in ice dancing at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.
Ms. Paul also finished 10th at the 2014 World Championships and earned a silver medal at the 2010 Junior World Championships, according to the statement on the official Olympic Games website.
During the 2014 Olympics, Mr. Islam and Ms. Paul spoke to The New York Times about the unique challenges of ice dancing, which requires competitors to maintain a stoic smile before a panel of judges, no matter their level of stress or physical exertion.
“Talking to some of the Olympians we’ve met here, I brag that’s the hard thing about our sport,” Mr. Islam said. “We’re just as tired as any other endurance athlete gets doing their sport, but we have to look pretty when we’re doing it. It’s a little tougher.”
Ms. Paul added, “The speedskaters, not a lot.”
The pair said they had spent hours analyzing their performance faces in studio mirrors and on video, as well as on the ice during grueling workouts.
In addition to being a competitive athlete, Ms. Paul was an associate lawyer at Barriston Law, the firm said on its website. She joined the firm in 2019 as a summer student before she was called to the bar in 2021, the firm said.
Ms. Paul and Mr. Islam married in the fall of 2021 and had a child, a boy, in October 2022, the firm said.
“Alex was a cherished member of our team and balanced her calm and joyful personality with an intense passion for her work,” the firm said. “We will greatly miss her kindness, curiosity, drive and beautiful smile.”
Michael Levenson joined The Times in December 2019. He was previously a reporter at The Boston Globe, where he covered local, state and national politics and news. More about Michael Levenson
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