Dandjinou earns fourth victory of season in 1500m; Dubois and Pierre-Gilles win 500m gold and silver

TILBURG, NETHERLANDS – The Canadian Ice Maples parlayed a perfect qualification day on Friday into three medals – two gold and one silver – on Saturday at the fifth ISU Short Track World Tour stop of the season in Tilburg.

William Dandjinou continued his dominance on the international stage, bringing home gold in the men’s 1500m to kick-off the first competition of the new calendar year.

The Montreal native (2:22.541) battled for position at the start of the final, before jumping into the lead with six laps remaining and holding off a last-ditch pass attempt from Jens van ‘T Wout of the Netherlands (2:22.659) to secure his fourth victory in the distance this season. Italy’s Pietro Sighel rounded out the podium in bronze medal position (2:22.681).

“I am very happy about my results today, both individual and as a team. I would have loved to share the podium with my teammates in the 500m, but that time will come and Steven and Jordan did a great job. I am satisfied with a really good race in my 1500m. It gives me another dose of confidence, but there is still lots of work to do both physically and tactically to bring everything together.”

William Dandjinou

Steven Dubois (Lachenaie, Que.) and Jordan Pierre-Gilles (Sherbrooke, Que.) would then earn a double podium for Canada in the men’s 500m, finishing the sprint in first (40.313) and second (41.362), respectively. 

“I had a really nice day. In the 1500m, I showed some good improvements that are promising for the rest of the season. In the 500m, I knew that I needed to be fast, as per usual. I executed with a quick start and good speed at the end of the race. My consistent times throughout the three rounds of the 500m prove that I am capable of skating fast on any ice. That resulted in my eighth consecutive podium in the 500m, so I am very happy!”

Steven Dubois

It marked the fourth time this season that two Canadians reached the 500m podium together, having accomplished the feat at every World Tour stop except Beijing.

“I am extremely happy with the silver medal today. Back-to-back double podiums with Steven is incredible, especially in front of the passionate fans here in the Netherlands. These are unforgettable moments that we truly cherish. Personally, this result gives me renewed confidence that I am still among the best 500m skaters in the world.”

Jordan Pierre-Gilles

Dandjinou also raced in the 500m final but was given a yellow card for dangerous behaviour after his late pass attempt caused two other skaters to crash out. Dutch competitor Jens van ‘T Wout was the first of the three to get back to his feet, eventually crossing the finish line in third place, much to the delight of the hometown crowd.

After Saturday’s results, Dandjinou increases his men’s Crystal Globe point total to 1,012, giving him a near-insurmountable lead of 282 points over van ‘T Wout (730) and Dubois (608).

The ISU Short Track World Tour in Tilburg comes to an end tomorrow with the women’s 500m and 1500m, the men’s 1000m and 5000m relay, as well as the 2000m mixed relay. Racing will be live streamed on CBC Sports digital platforms starting at 7:30am ET.

Results 

Men’s 500m

Steven Dubois: 1st
Jordan Pierre-Gilles: 2nd
William Dandjinou: YC

Women’s 1000m

Courtney Sarault: 6th
Danaé Blais: 9th
Kim Boutin: 10th

Men’s 1500m

William Dandjinou: 1st
Steven Dubois: 14th
Maxime Laoun: 15th

Relay

Women’s: 5th