BEIJING, CHINA – It was a magical end to the season for the Canadian short track speed skating team as they reached the podium six more times at the ISU World Short Track Championships in Beijing to conclude the weekend with six world titles and 10 total medals. It marks the country’s largest medal haul since they reached the podium 10 times in 1996, while their six gold medals were the most since 1994, when they won seven.
It was a golden start to the day as Florence Brunelle (Trois-Rivières, Que), Kim Boutin (Sherbrooke, Que.), Steven Dubois (Lachenaie, Que.) and William Dandjinou (Montreal, Que.) captured gold in an exciting 2000m mixed relay final. Their time of 2:36.232 helped them defeat Italy (2:36.619) and Poland (2:41.860) to earn the country’s first medal in the distance since it was introduced to the World Championship programme in 2023.
Dubois and Dandjinou kept the momentum going with a double podium in the men’s 1000m, earning gold and silver, respectively. Dubois (1:23.348) grabbed the race lead with six laps to go and held off Dandjinou (1:23.352), who rounded the final corner with speed and stretched out at the finish line to try and steal the top spot from his teammate. The Canadian duo was joined on the podium by Pietro Sighel of Italy (1:23.417).
“This is all pretty crazy, there are really no other words. We were hoping for some good results, and we knew we had a shot in every distance, but for us to win literally everything we touched on the ice this weekend is surreal. We are the strongest team, and we showed it. It feels good to end the year on such a good note,” said Steven DuboisSteven Dubois.
The men’s relay squad of Dubois, Dandjinou, Félix Roussel (Sherbrooke, Que.) and Maxime Laoun (Montreal, Que.) concluded the competition with a dominant performance to capture the world title, returning to the top of the podium at the Capital Indoor Stadium where they claimed Olympic gold in 2022. The Ice Maples led the 45-lap race from start to finish and crossing the line in 6:41.271, ahead of China (6:41.840) and Korea (6:41.891).
“Beijing really has a special place in my heart. We were crowned Olympic champions here and now world champions. As a team, we have not won the men’s relay World Championships since 2013. It’s a title that we wanted badly and all year we were working toward this goal. There is no better feeling than finishing on the top of the podium with my friends. We worked so hard and that those efforts were rewarded,” said Maxime Laoun.
A pair of New Brunswick women also reached the podium in individual distances on Sunday, adding to Canada’s incredible medal haul.
Courtney Sarault (Moncton, N.B.) followed up Saturday’s 1000m silver medal by bringing home the same colour in the 1500m. She battled until the very end of an action packed final, finishing the race in 2:27.194, sandwiched between Korean’s Choi Minjeong (2:27.136) and Kim Gilli (2:27.257) on the podium. It marked the fifth individual distance World Championship medal of her career.
Rikki Doak (Fredericton, N.B.), meanwhile, reached the World Championship podium for the very first time, earning silver in the 500m with a time of 42.286. Starting in the second position, the 26-year-old grabbed the lead off the opening gun but was unable to fend off Dutch speedster Xandra Velzeboer (42.132), who passed her during the third lap and finished with gold. Poland’s Natalia Maliszewska (42.561) rounded out the podium in bronze medal position, while Doak’s teammate Boutin was fifth (44.646).
“I’m very happy with how I raced today. Winning my first World Championship medal is crazy. I felt really good going into my races, which gave me confidence to be able to do what I did.”Rikki Doak
Canada’s short track team concludes the 2024-25 international season with 37 medals across six World Tour stops and 10 World Championship podiums, including 6 gold and 4 silver. After a well-deserved break, they will begin the journey to Milano Cortina 2026 this summer with the 2025 Canadian Short Track Championships presented by Intact Insurance, which run from August 23 to 31 in Montreal.
“A world championship title is never guaranteed, so to be able to perform like this against such a strong field is amazing. And we’re going to work even harder this summer to make sure it happens again and again” shared William Dandjinou.
Results
Women’s 500m
- Rikki Doak: 2nd
- Kim Boutin: 5th
- Florence Brunelle: 10th
Men’s 1000m
- Steven Dubois: 1st
- William Dandjinou: 2nd
- Felix Roussel: 17th
Women’s 1500m
- Courtney Sarault: 2nd
- Danaé Blais: 21st (DNS)
Relays
- Mixed: 1st
- Men’s: 1st
CONTACT
Alain Brouillette
Speed Skating Canada
communications@speedskating.ca
613-601-2630