(Montreal) Steven Dubois finds himself in unfamiliar territory at the start of the season on the short track speed skating World Cup circuit. The skater from Terrebonne and triple Olympic medalist experienced a first, when he was relegated to the repechage in the 1000 meters at the Maurice-Richard arena.
Skating in the two 1000m events of the day – doubled distances are a novelty on the circuit – Dubois thought he could sleep in on Saturday by only showing up for the quarter-finals, presented later in the day. But his third place in the qualifying heats will force him to show up at the arena earlier.
“It’s going to be a day that will look like the national selections, when we do five or six races in the same day. So I won’t be too disoriented,” said Dubois, gold medalist in the 5000m relay, silver in the 1500m, as well as bronze in the 500m at the Beijing Winter Games in February 2022.
Dubois lost his balance on the penultimate lap, while in second place in his heat. He was unable to close the gap to qualify directly by finishing in the top two.
“I was a bit unlucky: my boot hit the ice and the Italian took the opportunity to pass me. The race was almost over, so I didn’t have time to come back,” explained the skater from Terrebonne, who admitted to being very angry after this first race.
Bronze medalist over this distance at the last Worlds, Dubois was able to recover in the second 1000m event of the day, while he practically led his qualifying wave from start to finish.
“We do so many races during the year that it’s normal for some to go less well. […] It’s better to experience this early in the season. I’m going to make sure the switch is always on: I’m not tempted to get up early again this season. »
The start was smoother for his colleague William Dandjinou, who won his heat in the first 1000m ahead of Kazakh Adil Aliakhmedov. Pascal Dion also passed by virtue of his second place. Dandjinou did it again in the second 1000m, as did Dion, leader from start to finish.
In the 1500m quarter-finals, only Félix Roussel came out of the quarter-final heats. Jordan Pierre-Gilles and Maxime Laoun were unable to reach the semi-finals. Pierre-Gilles finished fourth in his heat, while Laoun fell and did not record a time.
Pierre-Giles recovered in the 500m, but he had to wait until the conclusion of the seven qualifying waves. Third in his wave, his time of 41.376 seconds allowed him to secure a place in the quarterfinals. Ditto for Roussel, whose time of 40.854 seconds allowed him to be drafted.
Laoun suffered a second fall in the individual distance and his journey came to an abrupt end.
Pierre-Gilles bounced back by helping the 5000m relay qualify, but he wasn’t entirely satisfied with this first day of racing.
“It’s a bit of a mixture of rustiness and nervousness running at home, but it’s also because the 1500m isn’t my favorite distance,” he said. I do well on the national scene or in the World Cup when others are having problems.
“With the 1000m double, the three guys who skated first took precedence and so I found myself in the 1500. That’s fine as it is, but I have no expectations at this distance. The 500 was better. I regain my feelings slowly, not quickly. »
Pierre-Gilles, Dandjinou, Dion and Roussel finished second, behind Italy at the end of a wild race.
“My feelings in this relay are a bit of a balm for my day,” said Pierre-Gilles. I felt at my best in this race, it gave me confidence for the next few days. »
Canada also had a perfect day in the relays.
First in the women’s 3000m, the team made up of Danaé Blais, Florence Brunelle, Rikki Doak and Courtney Sarault qualified for the semi-finals by finishing a few tenths of a second behind the Chinese.
Then, in the mixed 2000m relay, Blais, Brunelle, Dubois and Laoun combined their efforts to allow Canada to qualify for the semi-finals by finishing second in their quarter-final, again behind the Chinese team.
Among the women, the three Canadians registered in the 1000m reached the quarter-finals without going through the repechage. Sarault and Renée Steenge finished first in their heat, while Brunelle took second place.
In the second 1000m on the program, Sarault, Claudia Gagnon and Blais also obtained their direct qualification.
Sarault is a double bronze medalist over this distance at the last Worlds.
In the 1500m, two representatives of the maple leaf obtained their qualification, while Gagnon and Blais finished in second place in their respective heat. Doak, who fell, was eliminated in this first stage.
In the 500m, Brunelle, despite a clash with Kazakh Yana Khan, managed to finish second in her preliminary heat. Kahn fell and was eliminated. The judges ruled that Brunelle was not at fault for this inside overtaking.
Doak won her heat and reached the next round, as did Steenge.
The competitions will continue on Saturday and Sunday.
