After four individual medals on Saturday, Canada added two medals in the relay on Sunday, during the first stop of the season on the World Short Track Speed Skating Tour.
Composed of Steven Dubois, William Dandjinou, Jordan Pierre-Gilles and Félix Roussel, the men’s relay concluded a difficult day on the individual side with a convincing victory.
A relay from Pierre-Gilles to Dandjinou allowed the Maple Leaf to take the lead about halfway through the event. The Canadian skaters increased the pace with 10 laps to go and were never troubled until the end.
The day also began with the bronze medal in the mixed relay, despite a fall by Florence Brunelle.
Brunelle lost her balance, sending the American skater into the crash pads, but she got back up and continued racing. She, Kim Boutin, Roussel, Dubois and she crossed the finish line in third place, one lap behind the Dutch and South Koreans.
These are the fifth and sixth medals for Canada this weekend at the Maurice-Richard arena after Dandjinou’s two golds, then Dubois’ silver and bronze in the 500 and 1500 metres.
Last year, the representatives of the maple leaf only reached the podium once in the mixed relay on the circuit, formerly called the World Cup. They took the bronze medal at the last of six stages, in Gdansk in Poland. Their only victory in this discipline dates back to the 2018-2019 season.
On Friday, Danaé Blais and Jordan Pierre-Gilles contributed to Canada’s qualification for the final by taking second place in their semi-final heat, behind the United States.
Brunelle fell again in the 500m final as she represented Canada’s last hope of an individual medal of the day.
Looking to overtake Michelle Velzeboer for third place in the final straight, Brunelle came into contact with the Dutchwoman and the two women ended up in the mattresses. No penalty was issued.
Boutin provided some moments of joy with second place in the B final, at the end of which her teammate Rikki Doak took fourth place.
In the other individual events, the Canadians were excluded from the podium in the 1500 m.
In her first senior short track speed skating final, 19-year-old Canadian Qi Miao finished last in the final after leading the race for a while. She had previously placed last in the semifinals but was moved up because an opponent made an illegal pass on her that caused her to lose ground.
Boutin, who finished third in her semi-final, qualified for the small final, but did not participate.
Blais won bronze last year at this distance in Montreal. This time she was unable to keep up with her opponents in the semifinals, finishing last in her heat.
The only Canadian to start the men’s 1000m final, Félix Roussel had to settle for sixth and last place.
The reigning world champion over this distance, Dandjinou failed to qualify for the finals, falling on a bend.
Pierre-Gilles had an eventful 1000m, ultimately taking fourth and final place in the B final. He was advanced after a fall in the quarter-finals, then finished the semi-final in fourth position.
The World Tour will remain in Montreal for a second stop next weekend. It was originally scheduled to take place in Salt Lake City, United States, but the International Skating Union (ISU) moved it due to non-compliant safety mats.
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