Jordan Pierre-Gilles and Steven Dubois finish first and second in 500m-2

BEIJING, CHINA – A return to the top step of the men’s 5000m relay podium – where they captured Olympic gold two years ago – highlighted a three-medal day for Canada at the ISU World Cup Short Track in Beijing.

Reigning Olympic relay champions Jordan Pierre-Gilles (Sherbrooke, Que), Steven Dubois (Lachenaie, Que.) and Pascal Dion (Montreal, Que.) were joined in the final by William Dandjinou (Montreal, Que.), who anchored the team to their second gold medal of the season.

The Canadians were nestled in third place for with four laps remaining, when Dandjinou executed a brilliant inside pass at the entry of the corner to overtake the Chinese and Dutch teams, securing gold. Canada finished the 45-lap race in 6:55.964 and were joined on the podium by Korea (6:56.717) and China (6:58.280  ).

Maxime Laoun (Montreal, Que.) and Félix Roussel (Sherbrooke, Que.) were also awarded relay medals on Sunday as competitors in the semifinals and quarterfinals.

Earlier in the day, Pierre-Gilles was also able to put forth a repeat performance in his individual distance, brining home a second consecutive gold medal in the 500m-2. The 25-year-old made a pair of passes in the final lap to move into second place, before outstretching his teammate Dubois – who led the race from the opening gun – at the finish line to win gold. Pierre-Gilles posted a time of 40.666, placing him ahead of Dubois (40.695) and China’s Sun Long (40.724).

It was a familiar feeling for Dubois, who reached the Olympic podium three times at the very same rink in 2022. The 26-year-old has now captured a medal in each of the individual distances, having also won 1000m silver and 1500m bronze during the two World Cup stops in Montreal earlier this season.

Canadian women earned three top-10 results during the final day of competition. Claudia Gagnon and Florence Brunelle finished eighth and tenth in the 1000m, respectively, while Courtney Sarault was ninth in the 500m-2.

The ISU World Cup Short Track season continues next weekend with a stop in Seoul, where the World Championships were contested last season. Races will be live streamed on CBC digital channels, including CBCSports.ca and the CBC Gem app.

Quotes

“I’m super happy with my day and with my weekend as a whole. Three distances and three gold medals, what more could I ask for? I’m proud of the entire team too. We proved once again that we are the best team in the world in the relay. And in the 500m, it’s my third consecutive victory on the World Cup circuit. It gives me confidence and motivates me to keep up the hard work.”

Jordan Pierre-Gilles

“We kept the 500m medals in Canada so it doesn’t really matter [who finishes first]. I knew Jordan was there. I came to the last corner and I was fine, hit a crack and my right (skate) just kept going. And to go through ups and downs through the relay and still winnning, at the same place we won Olympic gold two years ago, is just something else.”

Steven Dubois

Results

1000m

Claudia Gagnon: 8th
Florence Brunelle: 10th
Danaé Blais: 17th
William Dandjinou: 6th
Maxime Laoun: 9th
Pascal Dion: 12th

500m-2

Courtney Sarault: 9th
Renee Steenge: 12th
Rikki Doak: 17th
Jordan Pierre-Gilles: 1st
Steven Dubois: 2nd
Félix Roussel: 10th

Relay

Men’s: 1st
Women’s: 4th