Dion reaches overall podium for the very first time; Boutin wins three silver en route to a career-best result
MONTREAL, QUEBEC Pascal Dion and Kim Boutin were both crowned vice World Champions at the conclusion of the ISU World Short Track Championships in Montreal on Sunday, marking the first time since 2016 that Canada has reached the overall podium in both the mens and womens overall in the same year.
Boutin kicked-off the day by racing to her third consecutive World Championship silver medal of the weekend, finishing second in the womens 1000m (1:28.076) one day after earning the same result in the 500m and 1500m. The Sherbrooke native completed the distance in 1:28.076, which placed her behind Koreas Choi Minjeong (1:27.956) and ahead of bronze medalist Xandra Velzeboer of the Netherlands (1:29.144).
Boutin entered the final race of the competition the 3000m Superfinal with an outside chance at the overall title, but her Korean rival Choi was just too much to handle. The triple Olympic medalist from Beijing 2022 took the lead with five laps remaining never looked back, securing her spot atop the overall podium.
Choi finished with 107 points, helping her win the fourth World Championship title of her career. Boutin came second with 84 points, besting her previous career-best third-place result from 2019, while Velzeboer was a distant third with 53 points.
On the mens side, it was a battle for second and third in the overall standing, as Hungarys Liu Shaoang entered the 3000m Superfinal having already secured the World Championship crown after winning gold in the 500m, 1000m and 1500m.
Montreals Pascal Dion, a silver medal winner in Saturdays 1500m, put forth an incredible performance in the 3000m Superfinal, crossing the finish line first thanks to a beautiful series of passes in the final laps. The win cemented the 27-year old in second place overall, helping him become the first Canadian to reach the overall podium at the World Championships since Charles Hamelin was crowned champion in 2018.
Sundays action concluded with a pair of medals in the relay, with the women claiming silver and the men winning bronze.
Boutin and teammates Courtney Sarault, Alyson Charles and Dana Blais were in control for nearly the entire race, but were surprised by Koreas Choi, who took an outside lane coming out of the final turn and outstretched Boutin at the finish line to steal the gold medal. The Koreans posted a time of 4:09.683, placing them ahead of the Canadian (4:09.717) and the Netherlands (4:09.779).
Meanwhile, the mens team of Dion, Charles Hamelin, Steven Dubois and Jordan Pierre-Gilles were comfortable in second place for the first half of their race, before moving into the lead during the 28th lap. The Canadians (6:56.807) looked poised to repeat their Olympic result but were unable to fend off the hard-charging Dutch (6:56.786) and Koreans (6:56.709), who passed them with only four laps remaining to earn silver and gold, respectively.
This weekends ISU World Short Track Championships in Montreal marked the end of the international season. Canada concluded the competition with a total of eight medals, including a silver in both the mens and womens overall classification.
Speed Skating Canada and the Quebec Speed Skating Federation would like to acknowledge the support and financial contributions of partners such as the International Skating Union, Government of Canada, Government of Quebec, City of Montreal and Tourism Montreal.
Results
- Kim Boutin: 2nd Overall, 2nd in 1500m, 2nd in 500m, 2nd in 1000m
- Courtney Sarault: 5th Overall, 4th in 1500m, 19th in 500m, 5th in 1000m
- Alyson Charles: 7th Overall, 17th in 1500m, 4th in 500m, 10th in 1000m
- Pascal Dion: 2nd Overall, 2nd in 1500m, 5th in 500m, 6th in 1000m
- Steven Dubois: 12th Overall, 19th in 1500m, 7th in 500m, 11th in 1000m
- Jordan Pierre-Gilles: 16th Overall, 11th in 1500m, 9th in 500m, 12th in 1000m
Quotes
- Mixed Zone audio quotes can be downloaded here.
MEDIA CONTACT
Alain Brouillette
Speed Skating Canada
communications@speedskating.ca
613-601-2630