MONTREAL, QUEBEC – It was a golden finish for Canada at the first stop of the all-new ISU Short Track World Tour in Montreal, as the men’s 5000m relay team brought home gold in front of over 2,500 fans to cap off an exciting weekend of action at the Maurice-Richard Arena. The Canadians also won bronze in the 2000m mixed gender relay earlier in the day, bringing their season total to six medals, including three gold, one silver and two bronze.
The team of Steven Dubois (Lachenaie, Que), William Dandjinou (Montreal, Que.), Jordan Pierre-Gilles (Sherbrooke, Que.) and Félix Roussel (Sherbrooke, Que.) dominated the final race of the afternoon, leading the pack for all but two of the 45-laps to finish with a time of 6:49.814, ahead of the China (6:50.641) and Netherlands (6:50.774).
It marked a tremendous start to the season for a men’s relay squad that finished last season atop the World Cup rankings just a year ago, winning three gold and one silver over six events.
“Honestly, there’s no better way to finish the weekend! We did exactly what we wanted to do in this race and executed the strategy we’ve been practicing all summer to perfection. Personally, it was difficult for me today as I had a few setbacks in my individual distance, but once we get together as a relay team, it’s a whole new energy. We put faith in our work and trust each other, and I think we can accomplish whatever we set out to do. I’m really happy, and I think our coaches and fans are also really happy with the result,” shared Jordan Pierre-Gilles.
Canada also reached the podium in the 2000 mixed gender relay, as Dubois, Roussel, Kim Boutin (Sherbrooke, Que.) and Florence Brunelle (Trois-Rivières, Que.) guided the hometown team to bronze in 2:47.875, behind the Dutch (2:37.874) and Koreans (2:38.031).
Five Canadian skaters – Brunelle, Roussel, Boutin, Rikki Doak and Qi Miao – finished in the top-10 of an individual distance on Sunday.
Reigning national champion Brunelle finished just off the podium in fifth place of the women’s 500m, falling victim of an unfortunate collision with a Dutch skater at the entry of the final turn. Roussel was sixth in the men’s 1000m, while 19-year-old Qi (Blainville, Que.), who was competing in her first senior-level international competition, earned an eighth-place finish behind a loaded field in the women’s 1500m.
Follow the first weekend of World Tour action, Canada sits atop the overall standings for the new ISU Team Crystal Globe with 1,434 points, slightly ahead of Korea (1,324) and the Netherlands (1,217).
The ISU Short Track World Tour returns to Montreal next weekend, from November 1-3, where the world’s top skaters will battle it out for medals and valuable Crystal Globe points. Tickets are available at www.courtepiste.ca, with fans from this past weekend receiving specialty pricing. Races will also be live streamed by CBC Sports and Radio-Canada Sports for those unable to attend in person.
Results
500m
- Florence Brunelle: 5th
- Kim Boutin: 7th
- Rikki Doak: 9th
1000m
- Félix Roussel: 6th
- Jordan Pierre-Gilles: 10th
- William Dandjinou: 12th
1500m
- Qi Miao: 8th
- Kim Boutin: 15th
- Danaé Blais: 19th
Relay
- Men’s: 1st
- Mixed: 3rd
CONTACT
Alain Brouillette
Speed Skating Canada
abrouillette@speedskating.ca
613-601-2630