The Canadian short track speed skating team excelled on the first day of the second stop of the World Tour in Montreal, securing four gold medals, with local favorite William Dandjinou claiming two individual wins.
In the men’s 500 meters event, Dandjinou, aged 24, clinched his second victory of the season with a time of 41.126 seconds at Maurice Richard Arena. His Dutch competitor, Jens Van’T Wout, was disqualified for a false start, leaving Dandjinou to lead the race from the restart and secure the win. Lui Shaoang of China took silver, while Sun Long, also from China, settled for bronze.
Later in the day, Dandjinou, the reigning men’s overall champion, added another gold medal in the 1,500 meters event with a time of 2:13.217. His compatriot Félix Roussel finished second but was penalized for an inside pass, promoting Steven Dubois of Lachenaie, Que., to the bronze medal position.
Expressing his pride in the home crowd and the event’s atmosphere, Dandjinou said, “We could not have asked for a better day.” On the women’s side, Courtney Sarault from Moncton, N.B., continued her winning streak by securing another gold medal in the 1,000 meters event.
Sarault controlled the race’s pace and finished in 1:27.896, ahead of Choi Min-jeong from South Korea and Xandra Velzeboer from the Netherlands. She later contributed to Canada’s victory in the women’s 3,000 meters relay alongside Kim Boutin, Danaé Blais, and Florence Brunelle, finishing in 4:07.341.
The Canadian team’s success brought redemption after a disappointing bronze medal the previous weekend. The competition continues with the upcoming stops in Poland and the Netherlands before the world championships in Montreal in March. Live coverage of the medal rounds can be watched on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem.
