William Dandjinou wins gold in 1500m, Félix Roussel and Steven Dubois take silver and bronze in 1000m 

DRESDEN, GERMANY – Canadian skaters won three medals on the first day of the ISU World Cup Short Track in Dresden, as William Dandjinou captured 1500m gold, while Félix Roussel and Steven Dubois bring home 1000m silver and bronze, respectively. 

Dandjinou (Montreal, Que.) had a strong day, climbing to the top of the podium after winning all of his races in the 1500m. Dandjinou raced a time of 2:11.460 in the final, coming out ahead of Stijn Desmet of Belgium (2:11.711) and Gun Woo Kim of Korea (2:11.785). This medal marks the third 1500m gold of the World Cup season for Dandjinou, following his wins in Montreal and Seoul. Pascal Dion (Montreal, Que.) finished in sixth-place in the distance (2:12.122). 

In the first men’s 1000m event of the weekend, Félix Roussel (Sherbrooke, Que.) and Steven Dubois (Terrebonne, Que.) earned a double podium finish for Canada. Roussel raced to silver (1:26.482) and Dubois took the bronze (1:26.559), finishing just behind Ji Won Park of Korea (1:26.406). 

A pair Canadian women fell just short of the podium on Saturday. 

Courtney Sarault (Moncton, N.B.) qualified for the women’s 1500m Final A with strong performances throughout the day, eventually finishing in 5th place (2:47.168). Hanne Desmet of Belgium took first place (2:20.346), while Kristen Santos-Griswold finished second (2:20.397) and Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands finished third (2:20.694). 

Meanwhile, in her first World Cup of the season, Kim Boutin (Sherbrooke, Que.) raced to the Final A of the 1000m, finishing in 5th place with a final time of 1:31.123. Gilli Kim (Korea) won the gold (1:29.246), Xandra Velzeboer of the Netherlands won silver (1:29.319), and Kamila Stormowska won bronze (1:29.399). 

Canada finished in second position in the women’s 3000m relay semifinal, qualifying the team for tomorrow’s Final A. In the men’s 5000m relay, the Canadians were penalized and failed to advance. 

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

“I feel very good and I’m happy to be back on the podium. It was a bit of a surprise because I didn’t feel like I had the legs I had at previous competitions. After my day on Friday, we made a few adjustments with the coaches. I’m happy with the result and for staying in the race for the Crystal Globe.”

William Dandjinou

“It was a big day for me, I felt more confident as the rounds went on and I had good legs. I’m proud of the medal and the fact that I now have one in every distance this season, but what I remember most is that I learned a lot about myself after racing with what are undoubtedly two of the best skaters in the world. It motivates me for the future to see what I need to go for gold, but I feel rewarded for my efforts over the last few months since the Asian World Cups.”

Félix Roussel

Results

1500m 

Courtney Sarault: 5th 
Danaé Blais: 8th 
William Dandjinou: 1st 
Pascal Dion: 6th 
Philippe Daudelin: 32nd 

1000m-1 

Kim Boutin: 5th 
Claudia Gagnon: 6th 
Renee Steenge: 19th 
Félix Roussel: 2nd 
Steven Dubois: 3rd 
Jordan Pierre-Gilles: 10th 

Mixed Relay 

7^th