Team Canada had a remarkable World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Beijing, China over the weekend. In all, the Canadians won 10 medals (six gold medals. and four silver medals).
Team Canada won the gold medal in all four of the men’s events (men’s 500 metres, men’s 1000 metres, men’s 1500 metres and men’s 5000 metre relay), and silver in the men’s 1000 metres. In women’s action, gold came in the women’s 3000 metre relay, and silver came in the three individual events. Another gold medal came in the mixed relay.
In the men’s 500 metres on Saturday, Canadian Olympic gold medalist Steven Dubois of Laval, Quebec won gold with a time of 40.008 seconds. Denis Nikisha of Kazakhstan won the silver medal with a time of 40.096 seconds. Jens van ‘T Wout of the Netherlands won the bronze medal with a time of 40.163 seconds. Dubois reached the podium by 0.271 seconds. Stijn Desmet of Belgium finished in fourth place with a time of 40.279 seconds.
In the men’s 1500 metres on Saturday, William Dandjinou of Sherbrooke, Quebec won gold with a time of 2:15.064. Desmet won the silver medal with a time of 2:15.176. Shaoang Liu of China won the bronze medal with a time of 2:15.871. Dandjinou reached the podium by 0.858 seconds over Jiwon Park of South Korea, who finished in fourth place with a time of 2:15.922.
In the women’s 1000 metres on Saturday, Courtney Sarault of Moncton, New Brunswick won silver with a time of 1;28.929. Hanne Desmet of Belgium won the gold medal with a time of 1:28.641. Xandra Velzeboer of the Netherlands won the bronze medal with a time of 1:28.991. Sarault reached the podium by 0.178 seconds over Arianna Fontana of Italy, who had a fourth place time of 1:29.107.
In the women’s 3000 metre relay on Saturday, Canada won the gold medal with a time of 4:09.254. The Canadian team was comprised of Canadian Olympic silver medalist Kim Boutin of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Sarault, Florence Brunelle of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec and Nikki Doak of Fredericton, New Brunswick. Poland won the silver medal with a time of 4:09.321. The Netherlands won the bronze medal with a time of 4:09.392. Canada reached the podium by 5.773 seconds. Kazakhstan was in fourth place with a time of 4:15.027.
In the team mixed relay on Sunday, Canada won the gold medal with a time of 2:36.232. Italy won the silver medal with a time of 2:36.619. Poland won the bronze medal with a time of 2:41.86. The Canadian team comprised of Dandjinou, Boutin, Brunelle and Dubois reached the podium by 13.144 seconds. The Netherlands were in fourth place with a time of 2:49.376.
In the men’s 1000 metres on Sunday, it was a 1-2 Canadian finish as Dubois won gold and Dandjinou won silver. Pietro Sighel of Italy won the bronze medal with a time of 1:23.417. Dubois reached the podium by 0.241 seconds and Dandjinou reached the podium by 0.177 seconds over Stijn Desmet, who had a fourth place time of 1:23.529.
in the women’s 500 metres on Sunday, Doak won the silver medal with a time of 42.286. Velzeboer won gold with a time of 42.132. Natalia Maliszewska of Poland won the bronze medal with a time of 42.561 seconds. Doak reached the podium by .379 seconds over Xinran Wang of China, who had a fourth place time of 42.665 seconds.
In the women’s 1500 metres on Sunday, Sarault won the silver medal with a time of 2:27.194. Minjeong Choi of South Korea won the gold medal with a time of 2:27.136. Gilli Kim of South Korea won the bronze medal with a time of 2:27.257. Sarault reached the podium by 9.531 seconds over Elisa Confortola of Italy, who had a fourth place time of 2:36.725.
In the men’s 5000 metre relay on Sunday, the Canadian team comprised of Canadian Olympic gold medalists Maxime Laoun of Montreal, Quebec, and Dubois, Dandjinou and Felix Roussel of Sherbrooke. Canada had a winning time of 6:41.271. China won the silver medal with a time of 6:41.84. South Korea had a bronze medal time of 6:41.891. Canada reached the podium by 1.429 seconds over the United States, which had a fourth place time of 6:42.700.
Dubois and Laoun won a gold medal in the men’s 5000 metre relay at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. Boutin won a gold medal in the women’s 1000 metres at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. The World Championship medals for Dubois, Laoun, Dandjinou, Roussel, Sarault, Doak, Boutin, and Brunelle, will give them confidence as they prepare for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
