Three-time Canadian Olympic gold medalist Charles Hamelin of Levis, Quebec won the gold medal in the men’s 1500m on Saturday at the 2021 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Dordrecht, Netherlands. It was one of three medals won by Canadians at the World Championships, as Courtney Lee Sarault of Moncton, New Brunswick won the silver medal in the women’s 1500 metres and bronze in the women’s 1000 metres events.
Hamelin, who won Olympic gold in the men’s 500 metres and the men’s 5000 metre relay at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, as well as gold in the men’s 1500 metres at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, won his 13th career gold medal at the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships. He posted a winning time of 2:18.143. Itzhak de Laat of the Netherlands won the silver medal with a time of 2:18.202. Semen Elistratov of Hungary won the bronze medal with a time of 2:18.296. Hamelin reached the podium by 0.294 seconds over Shaolin Sandor Liu of Hungary, who was in fourth place with a time of 2:18.437.
Sarault’s first World Championship medal on the weekend came on Saturday in the women’s 1500 metres. Sarault posted a second-place time of 2:37.089. Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands won the gold medal with a time of 2:36.884, and Xandra Velzeboer of the Netherlands won the bronze medal with a time of 2:37.109. Sarault earned a medal by 0.668 seconds over fourth-place finisher Sofia Prosvirnova of Russia, who had a time of 2:37.757.
Sarault’s second World Championship medal on the weekend came on Sunday in the women’s 1000 metres. Sarault had a time of 1:27.47. Schulting won the gold medal with a time of 1:26.854. Hanne Desmet of Belgium won the silver medal with a time of 1:26.993. Sarault reached the podium by .025 seconds over Selma Poutsma of the Netherlands, who had a fourth-place time of 1:27.495. The medals for Hamelin and Sarault will give them confidence as they prepare for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.
