Three 1000m medals for Canada to open short track World Cup in Kazakhstan
ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN – Canada reached the 1000m podium three times at the ISU World Cup Short Track in Almaty on Saturday. Courtney Sarault won gold in the women’s event, while Pascal Dion and Jordan Pierre-Gilles earned silver and bronze in the men’s competition, respectively.
Sarault finished first in the women’s 1000m to win her second World Cup medal in the distance this season. It marked the 22-year old’s first career gold medal in an individual distance.
The Moncton native moved to the front of the pack with five laps remaining and was able to hold on for the win, crossing the line in 1:32.671. She was joined on the podium by Suk Hee Shim of Korea (1:32.770) and Corinne Stoddard of the United States (1:33.025)
Meanwhile, it was a double podium for Canada in the men’s 1000m, with Dion and Pierre-Gilles both winning some hardware.
Dutch skater Jens van ‘t Wout held the lead for the majority of the race, winning gold in a time of 1:26.074, ahead of Dion (1:26.147) and Pierre-Gilles (1:26.347).
A fall from Korea’s Ji Won Park in the sixth lap of the closely contested final helped the Canadians secure their respective positions on the podium.
Dion briefly overtook van ‘t Wout with two laps remaining but was immediately passed by the eventual gold medallist in the next turn. The Montreal native stayed close, but wasn’t able to stretch past the Dutchman at the finish line.
Pierre-Gilles moved into third following Park’s fall and skated defensively the rest of the race to fend off China’s Wenlong Li. The bronze medal was Pierre-Gilles’ first career World Cup medal in an individual distance, having only previously reached the podium as a member of the men’s and mixed relay teams.
The ISU World Cup Short Track in Almaty comes to an end tomorrow with the 500m, 1000m-2 and both the men’s and women’s relays. The races will be live streamed on CBC Sports and Radio-Canada Sports.
Quotes
- “I’ve been waiting for this first World Cup medal for a long time! I felt that I would win one soon. To have Pascal on the podium alongside me today made it even more special. I’m really excited for the next races and trying to upgrade this bronze medal to silver or gold.” – Jordan Pierre-Gilles
Results
Women’s 1000m
- Courtney Sarault: 1st
- Kim Boutin: 9th
- Rikki Doak: 14th
Women’s 1500m
- Danaé Blais: 5th
- Claudia Gagnon: 21st
- Renée Steenge: 29th
Men’s 1000m
- Pascal Dion: 2nd
- Jordan Pierre-Gilles: 3rd
- Maxime Laoun: 9th
Men’s 1500m
- William Dandjinou: 11th
- Steven Dubois: 17th
- Félix Roussel: 23rd
Relays
- Mixed: 8th
CONTACT
Alain Brouillette
Speed Skating Canada
communications@speedskating.ca
613-601-2630
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