MONTREAL, QUEBEC – William Dandjinou and Steven Dubois ordered a double-double of medals for Canadian short track fans during the opening day of racing at the all-new ISU Short Track World Tour in Montreal, earning a double podium in both the men’s 500m and 1500m on Saturday afternoon.
The first-ever day of the new World Tour got off to a thrilling start, with two medals for Canada in the men’s 1500m.
Dandjinou (Montreal, Que.), who finished last season first overall in the distance, brought the hometown crowd of over 2,500 to its feet after outstretching reigning Crystal Globe winner Park Ji Won of Korea at the finish line (2:18.607), grabbing gold by less than one-hundredth of a second in a photo-finish (+0.09). Dandjinou’s teammate Dubois (Lachenaie, Que.) rounded out the podium, bringing home bronze with a time of 2:18.679.
It was a similar story in the men’s 500m, with Dandjinou and Dubois earning the host country’s second double podium of the day. The 23-year-old Dandjinou was again victorious, sprinting to his second gold medal in 40.701 seconds. Dubois (40.797), who raced defensively in the final few laps, finished closely behind in silver medal position, successfully holding a lead against bronze medalists Lin Xiaojun of China (40.969).
Canada reached the top of the podium in the women’s 3000m relay near the end of the competition day, finishing the distance ahead of the Italians and Koreans. However, the celebration was short lived, with the officials giving them a penalty and subsequent disqualification, judging that Florence Brunelle (Trois-Rivières, Que.) made contact with a Dutch skater while attempting a pass.
The first stop of the ISU Short Track World Tour concludes tomorrow with the women’s 500m and women’s 1500m, the men’s 1000m and 5000m relay, as well as the 2000m mixed gender relay. Tickets are still available at www.courtepiste.ca for those in the Montreal area. Canadians from coast-to-coasts can also watch the races live on CBC Sports and Radio-Canada Sports
“It was a great day and I’m very happy. I knew that even though I had a good day yesterday, I had to stay focused today to get good results. I feel like the 500m is the distance where I have to prove myself. When I was younger, I had good results, but when I got to the senior level, I started to specialize in the 1000m and 1500m. Since the level is so high in the 500m in Canada, I had to carve out my spot. To have earned my spot and to performed so well amongst such a competitive group is a really good feeling. It was incredible to win two gold medals here in Montreal. And there are distances tomorrow that I want to win as well, so stay tuned,” shared William Dandjinou.
“I’m really happy with my races and really happy with my day. I didn’t have any objectives or expectations today. I know I’m capable of winning medals, but there are so many things that can happen in short track, so I don’t like to set expectations. Things are off to a better start this season compared to last season. We’ve been training really hard this summer. I’m in better shape than I’ve ever been in my career, and I know it will lead to great things. I’m happy with the way I raced. In the 500 final, I could have been a little more aggressive, but I decided to race from second place and try to block the Chinese (Lin Xiaojun), who has honestly been the best in the world in the 500m for several years now. But that’s how I need to race for the rest of my events moving forward,” shared Steven Dubois.
Results
1000m
- Danaé Blais: 7th
- Florence Brunelle: 10th
- Qi Miao: 15th
1500m
- William Dandjinou: 1st
- Steven Dubois: 3rd
- Félix Roussel: 23rd
Relay
- Women’s: 4th
CONTACT
Alain Brouillette
Speed Skating Canada
abrouillette@speedskating.ca
613-601-2630