Led by Steven Dubois, winner in the 1000m, Quebec’s short track skaters won a total of four medals during the various finals contested Saturday at the World Cup in Seoul, South Korea.
Dubois climbed to the top of the podium after a thrilling final in the 1000m. The Laval resident resisted the comeback of one of the local favorites, Hwang Daeheon, en route to his first victory of the season.
“I heard the crowd, so I knew he was going to try something at the last corner. I didn’t believe he was that close and we made contact at the very last moment before falling onto the ice at the finish. I knew I won, but he gave me quite a scare! » indicated the winner during an interview with the International Skating Union (ISU).
Not far behind, Pascal Dion completed the podium over the distance. He skated alongside Dubois for most of the final, but could do nothing against the South Korean’s push.
“I had some really good races today [Saturday] with few mistakes to get to the final. I almost had a perfect race in the final, I was just missing a little bit of legs to finish higher on the podium,” the man who obtained his very first individual medal of the campaign told Speed Skating Canada.
Barely a few minutes later, William Dandjinou and Félix Roussel added to the Canadian haul by finishing second and third respectively in the 1500m, where victory this time went to a South Korean skater, Park Ji Won.
“I’m happy with my result, the legs are less there than last week, but my mentality is still there. I’m happy to have been able to share the podium with my friend and teammate Félix [Roussel]. I’m proud of myself, the experience is coming in and I’m going to be ready for tomorrow [Sunday],” Dandjinou told his national federation.
The Sherbrooke athlete now has four individual medals to his credit since the start of the campaign, a record among the Canadian team.
Also competing in Saturday’s races, Jordan Pierre-Gilles reached the B final of the 1000m and is ninth overall, while Maxime Laoun finished 18th in the 1500m.
On the women’s side, New Brunswicker Courtney Sarault posted the best Canadian performance of the day with a fifth place in the 1000m grand final. Trifluvian Florence Brunelle, for her part, won the B final to finish just behind her compatriot in the general classification of the distance.
For their part, Danaé Blais and Claudia Gagnon were registered in the 1500m, where they ranked 13th and 18th respectively.
Note that the women’s relay, composed of Danaé Blais, Florence Brunelle, Claudia Gagnon and Renée Marie Steenge, secured its place for the grand final which will take place on Sunday.
Among the men, the quartet of William Dandjinou, Steven Dubois, Maxime Laoun and Félix Roussel suffered elimination in the quarter-finals.
Similar observation for the mixed relay which saw its course stop from the start on Saturday. William Dandjinou, Claudia Gagnon and Jordan Pierre-Gilles are the Quebecers who took part in this race.
All Canadian skaters will take part in individual races on Sunday, with medals again up for grabs in the 1500m, as well as the 500m.
