Team Canada won the gold medal on Sunday in the men’s 5000 metre relay in a World Cup speed skating event in Debrecen, Hungary. It was one of seven medals Canada won on the weekend in an excellent World Cup competition.
In the men’s 5000 metre relay, the Canadian team comprised of three-time Canadian Olympic gold medalist Charles Hamelin of Levis, Quebec, Canadian Olympic bronze medalist Pascal Dion of Montreal, Quebec, Jordan Pierre-Gillies of Sherbrooke, Quebec, and Steven Dubois of Lachenaie, Quebec. Canada posted a time of 6:44.045. South Korea won the silver medal with a time of 6:44.892. Hungary won the bronze medal with a time of 6:45.003. Canada reached the podium by 1.374 seconds over Russia, who had a fourth place time of 6:55.419. Canada is the World Cup leader with 22621 points. They have 1821 more points than second place Hungary, which has 20800 points.
Dion meanwhile won two additional medals in individual events. He placed second in the men’s 1000 metres on Sunday and the men’s 1500 metres on Saturday. In the men’s 1000 metres, Dion had a time of 1:25.698. Daeheon Wang of South Korea won the gold medal with a time of 1:25.425. Itzhak de Laat of the Netherlands won the bronze medal with a time of 1:26.211. Niall Treacy of Great Britain finished in fourth place in the men’s 1000 metres, with a time of 1:26.377, a total of 0.679 seconds back of Dion. In the men’s 1000 World Cup standings, Dion is leading with 20800 points. Wang is in second with 20115 points.
In the men’s 1500 metres on Saturday, Dion had a time of 2:13.048. Ziwei Ren of China won the gold medal with a time of 2:12.910. Jang Hyuk Park of South Korea won the bronze medal with a time of 2:13.125. Dion reached the podium by 0.415 seconds over Stijn Desmet of Belgium, who had a fourth place time of 2:13.463. In the men’s 1500 World Cup standings, Dion is in fourth place with 11281 points. Semen Elistratov of Russia is the leader with 15300 points.
In the women’s 500 metres on Saturday, Canadian Olympic silver medalist Kim Boutin of Sherbrooke, Quebec won the bronze medal with a time of 42.860 seconds. She reached the podium by 0.457 seconds over fellow Canadian Florence Brunelle of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec. Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands won the gold medal with a time of 42.566 seconds. Arianna Fontana of Italy won the silver medal with a time of 42.801 seconds. In the World Cup standings, Boutin is in fourth place with 11664 points. Fontana leads with 26000 points.
In the women’s 1500 metres on Saturday, Courtney Lee Sarault of Moncton, New Brunswick won the bronze medal with a time of 2:23.118. Schulting of the Netherlands won the gold medal with a time of 2:23.099. Yubin Lee of South Korea won the silver medal with a time of 2:23.101. Sarault reached the podium by .239 seconds over Fontana. In the World Cup Standings, Sarault is in fourth place with 14544 points. Lee leads with 20097 points.
In the mixed 2000 metre relay on Sunday, Camille De Serres-Rainville of Montreal, Quebec, Brunelle, Hamelin, and Dubois had a time of 2:39.651 in winning the silver medal. China won the gold medal with a time of 2:39.386. France won the bronze medal with a time of 2:40.417. Canada reached the podium by 7.314 seconds over Hungary, which had a fourth place time of 2:46.965. Canada is in third place in the World Cup Standings with 12718 points. China leads with 28000 points.
In the women’s 3000 metre relay on Sunday, Alyson Charles of Montreal, Quebec, Brunelle, Sarault and Boutin won the silver medal with a time of 4:06.769. The Netherlands won the gold medal with a time of 4:06.698. China won the bronze medal with a time of 4:06.782. Canada reached the podium by 0.107 seconds over South Korea, which had a time of 4:06.876. In the World Cup standings, Canada is in fourth place with 13898 points. The Netherlands lead with 28000 points.
Hamelin won a gold medal at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver in the men’s 500 metres and the men’s 5000 metre relay. He also won gold at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi in the men’s 1500 metres. Dion won a bronze medal with Hamelin in the men’s 5000 metre relay at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. Boutin won the silver medal in the women’s 1000 metres at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. The medals won by Boutin, Charles, Hamelin, Brunelle, Sarault, Dion, De Serres-Rainville, Dubois, and Pierre-Gillies will give them confidence as they prepare for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.
