Pascal Dion wins gold in 1500m, Steven Dubois and Kim Boutin win silver and bronze in 500m, Canada claims bronze in Mixed Relay

GDANSK, POLAND – Canada kicked off the ISU World Cup Short Track in Gdansk with four medals, including one gold, one silver, and two bronze.

Pascal Dion (Montreal, Que.) finished at the top of the podium in the men’s 1500m, winning the gold medal, his first individual World Cup victory of the season. With a final time of 2:16.060, Dion finished ahead of Korea’s Jang Sungwoo (2:16.087) and Friso Emons of the Netherlands (2:16.178).

In the 500m, Steven Dubois (Terrebonne, Que.) raced to a silver medal after winning all of his previous rounds (41.467). He was joined on the podium by Seo Yi Ra of Korea in first place (41.451) and Lukasz Kucynski in third place (41.875). Jordan Pierre-Gilles (Sherbrooke, Que.) finished in second place in the Final B (57.501), ranking 7th overall, and Félix Roussel (Sherbrooke, Que.) finished 9th overall.

In the women’s 500m, Kim Boutin (Sherbrooke, Que.) captured her first individual World Cup medal of the season, taking the bronze. She raced to a final time of 43.190, finishing just behind Selma Poutsma of the Netherlands (43.033) and Hanne Desmet of Belgium (43.046).

The Canadian team raced to the bronze medal in the Mixed Relay (2:41.469), following strong performances in the quarterfinals and semifinals. The Netherlands took first place (2:40.74) and Korea took second place (2:41.35).

Canada wrapped up the day with impressive performances in the semifinal rounds of the men’s 5000m relay and women’s 3000m relay, with both teams qualifying for tomorrow’s Final A.

The ISU World Cup Short Track continues tomorrow with the men’s and women’s 500m and 1000m, as well as the women’s 3000m Relay and men’s 5000m Relay. Races can be watched live on CBC Sports digital platforms, including CBCSports.ca and the CBC Gem app.

Quotes

“It’s good to be back on the podium. I had a lot of fun racing and especially medalling in the mixed relay! We had some great races and we hope to be back on the podium a lot more often.”

Kim Boutin

“I’m very happy with my race! Lots of action and overtaking. I managed my energy really well. There wasn’t much at stake for me, but I knew I had to beat Jiwon to allow William to win the 1500m ranking, as he was injured in training.”

Pascal Dion

“It was a great day. I had good legs, I felt good and I was setting the fastest times all day. The final was a bit of a jumble with a contact and a big block from the Korean. The referees decided not to call anything, so I finished second. I think I can go for gold with the way I’m skating tomorrow. Great performances in all the relays too, with our first medal in the mixed relay!”

Steven Dubois

Results

1500m

Claudia Gagnon: 6th
Danaé Blais: 7th
Renée Steenge: 10th
Pascal Dion: 1st
Maxime Laoun: 16th
Philippe Daudelin: 17th

500m

Kim Boutin: 3rd
Courtney Sarault: 35th
Rikki Doak: 37th
Steven Dubois: 2nd
Jordan Pierre-Gilles: 7th
Félix Roussel: 9th

Mixed Relay

3rd