Canadian women earn fifth relay medal of the season; men’s team finishes just off the podium in fourth place
DRESDEN, GERMANY – The women’s short track relay team earned Canada’s lone World Cup medal on Sunday, brining home silver to close out the final day of ISU World Cup Short Track competition in Dresden, Germany.
The female quartet of Courtney Sarault (Moncton, N.B.), Kim Boutin (Sherbrooke, Que.), Rikki Doak (Fredericton, N.B.) and Renée Steenge (Brampton, Ont.) were in a heated battle with their rivals from the Netherlands for the duration of the 3000m race but were unable to overtake the reigning Olympic champions, settling for a hard-earned silver medal.
The Dutch (4:07.531) took lead from the Canadians (4:07.768) with 8 laps to go and never looked back, with Xandra Velzeboer defending successfully defending a pass attempt from Boutin after the final exchange to secure the top spot. Korea finished in bronze medal position (4:08.238).
It was Canada’s fifth women’s relay medal of the season, having previously won one gold and three silver. They will enter next weekend’s final World Cup of the season in a three-way tie for first with the Netherlands and Korea, all of whom have 340 points.
Meanwhile, it was a heartbreaking relay final for the men’s team of Pascal Dion (Montreal, Que.), Maxime Laoun (Montreal, Que.), William Dandjinou (Montreal, Que.) and Félix Roussel (Sherbrooke, Que), who looked poised to reach the podium until a misstep with five laps remaining knocked them out of contention.
Dion lost his balance and fell after an exchange, and despite popping back onto his skates also immediately after hitting the ice, his loss of speed allowed the Hungarians to move past the Canadians into third place. China earned gold (6:51.106), ahead of Japan (6:51.173) and Hungary (6:52.326).
After earning a pair of bronze medals yesterday, Canada failed to win an individual distance medal on Sunday. Steven Dubois (Lachenaie, Que.) came the closest, finishing just off the 500m podium in fourth place.
The 25-year-old from was blocked by Korea’s Tae Sung Kim while trying to execute an inside pass to move from second to first, causing him to lose his speed and fall out of contention. Kim was penalized for the block, but the penalty had no impact on the final ranking. The podium featured China’s Lin Xiaojun (41.329) and Zhong Yuchen (41.549), along with Japan’s Kazuki Yoshinaga (41.750).
While Dubois was the lone Canadian to participate in an A Final, five of his teammates – Laoun, Boutin, Doak in the 500m, Steenge and Blais in the 1500m – qualified for B Finals on Sunday, ranking them within the top-10 in their respective distances.
Canada’s short track team concludes their World Cup season with the sixth and final event next weekend in Dordrecht, Netherlands. It will be the final international competition before the ISU World Short Track Championships, which will take place in Seoul from March 10-12.
Quotes
“We were really motivated for the relay final! Our chemistry is excellent and we were confident that we could do well. We had some excellent relays and good passes. For the last two laps, I came in with a lot of speed and tried to pass on the corner entry, but Xandra [Velzeboer] didn’t open up so I lost a lot of speed. Next time we will get it, I am confident! We are ready for the Netherlands.”
Kim Boutin
“We have been consistent all season, even with different orders. Quietly, we are stabilizing the chemistry and we are often in an excellent position to win. It’s a great rivalry between the three teams in the overall standings. We are ready for the finale.”
Kim Boutin
“Going into the final we knew it was going to be a good race and we were ready for it. There were a lot of small passes and blocks throughout the race, as well as change of speed which made it exciting and more tactical. During the middle of the race, a small gap was created and then it was just a battle of speed and good exchanges after that. Overall, it was a good race and definitely promising of what we are capable of. The last World Cup will be exciting with Canada, Netherlands and Korea all tied with 340 points in the rankings.”
Renée Steenge
“I am really enjoying the relay. It is my favourite part of the World Cups. I get so amped and have so much energy for it. It’s great to be apart of this team. All the girls have skated World Cups before so I look up to them. I think our camaraderie as well as their experience is part of the reason why we have been able to stay so consistent.”
Renée Steenge
Results
Women’s 500m
- Rikki Doak: 9th
- Kim Boutin: 10th
- Courtney Sarault: 11th
Women’s 1500m(2)
- Claudia Gagnon: 8th
- Renée Steenge: 9th
- Danaé Blais: 20th
Men’s 500m
- Steven Dubois: 4th
- Maxime Laoun: 7th
- William Dandjinou: 59th
Men’s 1500m(2)
- Félix Roussel: 17th
- Pascal Dion: 19th
- Mathieu Pelletier: 24th
Relays
- Women’s: 2nd
- Men’s: 4th