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Canadian speed skaters won gold in the men’s 5,000-metre relay and silver in the mixed 2,000 relay at the world short-track championships Sunday in Montreal.
The team finished the event with just three medals, seven fewer than last year and two fewer than at last month’s Milano-Cortina Olympics.
The Canadian national anthem rang out at the end of the day after the men’s relay quartet of Felix Roussel, Maxime Laoun, Steven Dubois and William Dandjinou won gold for a second consecutive year.
Laoun was unable to hold off South Korea’s Lee Jeong-min during the final lap. He attempted to pass him in the final meters before the finish line, but both skaters fell, and Lee narrowly edged out Laoun. The South Korean team, however, was disqualified after the referees ruled Lee had illegally blocked Laoun.
Therefore, Roussel, Laoun, Dubois, Dandjinou and Jordan Pierre-Gilles, who competed in the semifinals Saturday, took the top spot on the podium. China won silver and Italy took bronze.
The gold-medal marked a reversal of fortune for Dandjinou, who was disqualified from the 1,000-metre final earlier Sunday for blocking South Korea’s Rim Jong-un during his final sprint to the finish.
Canada’s Steven Dubois, Maxime Laoun, William Dandjinou and Steven Dubois finish first in the men’s 5,000-metre relay at the ISU Short Track World Championships in Montreal to defend their title.
Rim claimed gold, having also triumphed in the 1,500 on Saturday. Dutch skater Jens van ‘t Wout took silver and Britain’s Niall Treacy won bronze.
Earlier in the day, Canada was also edged out by a rival during the final lap of the mixed relay final.
Florence Brunelle, Danae Blais, Dandjinou and Dubois spent most of the early part of the race in the lead before Italy moved ahead. Canada regained the advantage with two laps to go when Dandjinou handed off to Dubois, but the 28-year-old from Terrebonne, Que., was unable to hold off the final charge by Italy’s Pietro Sighel in the final lap.
Italy claimed the world title ahead of Canada and Belgium, completing the same podium as last month’s Olympics.
Roussel and Courtney Sarault also contributed to Canada’s silver medal, having competed in the quarterfinals and semifinals earlier this weekend in Montreal.
On Saturday, Dubois was the only Canadian skater to reach the podium, winning the 500.
Sarault narrowly misses podium
Sarault finished just off the podium, placing fourth in the women’s 1,500-meter race Sunday.
South Korea’s Kim Gilli won gold, ahead of the Netherlands’ Xandra Velzeboer and Corinne Stoddard of the United States.
Gilli was the defending Olympic champion in the event, while Stoddard had also finished third last month in Milan. Gilli also won gold in the 1,000 on Saturday.
Sarault appeared to lose her balance slightly with three laps to go, while she was in second place. She lost her rhythm, allowing Velzeboer and Stoddard to easily pass her during the next lap.
Blais was also in the final, but she fell with five and a half laps to go and was penalized for contacting Italy’s Elisa Confortola.
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