Canada strikes gold four times at short track World Tour in Seoul

Team Canada added three more medals on Day 2 of the ISU Short Track World Tour, bringing its total medal count to four golds, three silvers, and a bronze after Sunday’s races in Seoul.

On the men’s side, Saturday was highlighted by a double-podium with Steven Dubois and Jordan Pierre-Gilles finishing first and second respectively for Canada in the 500m.

“I am really happy about my performance today. It feels good getting back onto the podium, particularly with Steven. Always an incredible moment sharing the podium with a teammate and friend. Really happy how I managed to accomplish that today,” Pierre-Gilles told Speed Skating Canada.

William Dandjinou continued his world-class performance in the 1500m Saturday with a gold medal – his third of the season. The Montreal native followed that up with another gold on Sunday, this time in the 1000m event.

The final gold on Saturday came on the women’s side with the team of Danae Blais, Kim Boutin, Florence Brunelle, and Courtney Sarault claiming gold in the 3000m relay, skating in 0.15 seconds ahead of Italy. Canada has now won the 3000m women’s relay in three consecutive World Tour events.

Blais capped off Canada’s five-medal Saturday with a silver in the 1000m. She won gold at the previous World Tour event in Beijing.

Brunelle picked up another silver medal for Canada in the women’s 500m final on Sunday. Brunelle and Dandijinou also teamed up with Boutin and Dubois to win a bronze in Sunday’s mixed relay event.

With two World Cup events remaining following Seoul, Canadian skaters are positioning themselves well to be in Crystal Globe contention.

Dandjinou further distanced himself from 2023-24 Crystal Globe winner Ji-Won Park with his gold on Saturday in the 1500m. Dandjinou finished 0.4 seconds ahead of Park to win his third gold of the season in the distance. He sits 60 points ahead of Park in the 1500m classification, and in the overall classification, he is over 300 points ahead of Park after his stellar performances on Saturday and Sunday.

The next ISU Short Track World Tour event is set to kick off in the Netherlands on February 7th.