Wiliam Dandjinou of Sherbrooke, Quebec won the gold medal on Sunday in a World Cup short track speed skating event in Milan, Italy. It was one of three medals won by Canada on Sunday. The other two came in the relay events as Canada won silver in the mixed team relay and the men’s 5000 metre relay.
Dandjinou posted a winning time of 1:23.025. Pietro Sighel of Italy won the silver medal with a time of 1:23.119. Sungwoo Jang of South Korea won the bronze medal with a time of 1:23.220. Dandjinou reached the podium by 0.421 seconds. Shaoang Liu of China finished in fourth place with a time of 1:23.446. Dandjinou won the World Cup standings in the men’s 1000 metres with 380 points. Jens van ‘T Wout of the Netherlands finished in second place with 360 points.
In the mixed team relay, the Canadian team comprised of Danae Blais of Chateauguay, Quebec, Florence Brunelle of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canadian Olympic gold medalist Jordan Pierre-Gilles of Sherbrooke, and Felix Roussel of Sherbrooke. The Netherlands won the gold medal with a time of 2:38.005. Canada won the silver medal with a time of 2:38.187. Japan won the bronze medal with a time of 2:38.339. Canada finished in second place in the World Cup standings with 370 points. The Netherlands finished first with 440 points.
In the men’s 5000 metre relay, the Canadian team comprised of Pierre-Gilles, Dandjinou, Roussel and Maxime Laoun of Montreal, Quebec. Canada had a silver medal winning time of 6:42.878. Italy won the gold medal with a time of 6:42.822. Kazakhstan won the bronze medal with a time of 6:46.068. Canada reached the podium by 12.304 seconds over China, which had a fourth place time of 6:55.182. In the World Cup standings, Canada won with 400 points. China was second with 390 points.
Pierre-Gilles won Olympic gold in the men’s 5000 metre relay at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. The World Cup medals in Italy for Pierre-Gilles, Dandjinou, Roussel, Laoun, Blais, and Brunelle will give them confidence as they prepare for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan/Cortina d’Ampezzo.
