Kim Boutin of Sherbrooke, Quebec won two gold medals for Canada in a short track speed skating World Cup in Shanghai, China this past weekend. Boutin won a gold medal for Canada in the women’s 500m on Saturday and a second gold medal for Canada in the women’s 1000m on Sunday. Marianne St-Gelais of Roberval, Quebec also won two medals for Canada, while the Canadian men won a bronze medal in the men’s 5000m relay on Sunday.
In the women’s 500m, Boutin had a time of 43.72 seconds in the A final. Arianna Fontana of Italy won the silver medal with a time of 43.815 seconds. Sofia Prosvirnova of Russia won the bronze medal with a time of 43.844 seconds. Boutin reached the podium by 23.717 seconds over Martina Valcepina of Italy who finished in fourth place with a time of 1:04.439. Boutin is now in second place in the women’s 500m World Cup standings with 18000 points. Fontana leads with 18621 points.
In the women’s 1500m on Saturday, St-Gelais had a time of 2:31.691 in the A Final to finish third. Suk Hee Shim of South Korea won the gold medal with a time of 2:31.49. Min Jeong Choi of South Korea won the silver medal with a time of 2:31.602. St-Gelais reached the podium by .106 seconds over Canadian Valerie Maltais of Chicoutimi, Quebec who finished in fourth place with a time of 2:31.797 seconds. St-Gelais is now in eighth place in the women’s 1500m World Cup standings.
In the women’s 1000m on Sunday, Boutin and St-Gelais each reached the podium. Boutin won the gold medal with a time of 1:28.885. St-Gelais won silver with a time of 1:28.937. Fontana won bronze with a time of 1:29.224. Boutin reached the podium by 0.374 seconds and St-Gelais reached the podium by 0.322 seconds over Yu Bin Lee of South Korea, who finished in fourth place with a time of 1:29.259. Boutin leads the World Cup standings in the women’s 1000m with 19678 points and St-Gelais is in fifth with 10097 points.
In the men’s 5000m relay, Samuel Girard of Ferland-et-Boilleau, Quebec, Charles Hamelin of Levis, Quebec, Charle Cournoyer of Boucherville, Quebec and Pascal Dion of Montreal, Quebec won the bronze medal with a time of 6:39.805. The United States won the gold medal with a world record time of 6:29.052. South Korea won the silver medal with a time of 6:29.076. Canada continues to lead the World Cup standngs with 26400 points. The medals for Boutin, St-Gelais and the Canadian relay team will give them confidence as they prepare for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang.
