Twelve short track student-athletes will participate in biennial multisport event in Lucerne this December

MONTREAL, QUEBEC – Twelve Canadian short track student-athletes have been selected to represent their country at the upcoming 2021 FISU Winter Universiade in Lucerne, Switzerland. The 30^th edition of this biennial winter multisport event – which has included short track speed skating since 1985 – will take place from December 11-21, 2021.
 
The Winter Universiade is the largest winter multisport event after the Olympic Games. Around 1,600 students-athletes aged between 17 and 25 representing more than 540 universities in 50 countries are expected to attend this year’s event.
 
The programme for this year’s event, which was pushed back from January 2021 to December 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic, will feature ten sports, including alpine skiing, biathlon, curling, cross-country skiing, figure skating, freestyle skiing, hockey, short track, snowboarding and ski orienteering. The short track competition will feature all three individual distances (500m, 1000m and 1500m), along with the men’s 5000m and women’s 3000m relays.
 
The Canadian team includes national team members William Dandjinou, Nicolas Perreault, Claudia Gagnon and Rikki Doak, along with NextGen team athletes such as Victoria Gareau, Wren Acorn, Jérôme Courtemanche, Alexandre Migner, Félix Roussel, Émilien Blackburn. Former NextGen team members Renee Steenge and Léa Tessier will also make the trip.
 
Canada’s last short track medal at the event was bronze in the women’s 3000m relay in 2015, while the last individual distance medals were won during the 2013 edition in Trentino, Italy. Notable medals winners from the Universiade include Jeffrey Scholten, Marc-André Monette, François Drolet, Susan Auch, Michel Daignault, Guy Daignault, Louis Grenier and Maryse Perreault. 

The full list of athletes who will compete at the 2021 FISU Winter Universiade in Lucerne can be found below.

Women’s Team

• Claudia Gagnon (La Baie, Que.)
• Rikki Doak (Fredericton, N.B.)
• Renee Steenge (Brampton, Ont.)
• Léa Tessier (Blainville, Que.)
• Victoria Gareau (Chicoutimi, Que.)
• Wren Acorn (Yellowknife, N.W.T.)

Men’s Team

• William Dandjinou (Montreal, Que.)
• Nicolas Perreault (Sherbrooke, Que.)
• Jérôme Courtemanche (Montreal, Que.)
• Alexandre Migner (Sainte-Julie, Que.)
• Félix Roussel (Sherbrooke, Que.)
• Émilien Blackburn (Saguenay, Que.)

Staff

• Jeffrey Scholten (Coach)
• Yannick Desmeules (Assistant Coach)
• Shana Jean (Team Leader)

MEDIA CONTACT
Alain Brouillette
Speed Skating Canada
communications@speedskating.ca
613-601-2630

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