Four-time Olympic medallist Kim Boutin has topped the World Championship podium for the first time in her career.
Despite taking a break from international competition earlier in the season, Boutin showed she can rise to the occasion at the ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Leading from start to finish, Boutin raced to a time of 42.626 seconds, ahead of defending champion Xandra Velzeboer of the Netherlands (42.833) who claimed silver and Kristen Santos-Griswold of the United States (42.929) who claimed bronze.
Boutin had reached the podium in the 500m in 2022, and had claimed eight World Championship medals throughout her career in individual and team distances; but Saturday’s win was the first she struck gold.
She joins Isabelle Charest, Brenda Webster, and Kathleen Vogt as the only Canadian women to be crowned World Champion in the 500m distance.
READ: Boutin banks two silvers in world championships in Montreal
On the men’s side, Jordan Pierre-Gilles raced to his first World Championship medal in the 500m.
In an eventful race, three of the five skaters took a fall as Pierre-Gilles was able to recover the quickest to skate into third place nearly 11 seconds behind the second-place finsher.
Pierre-Gilles and teammate Steven Dubois were the first to go down, and it looked as though Italy’s Pietro Sighel had the bronze in check until he took a dive on the final corner.
Those celebrations right at the end say it all!
— ISU Speed Skating (@ISU_Speed) March 16, 2024
Lin Xiaojuntakes the 500m crown ahead of Denis Nikisha
and Jordan-PIerre Gilles
#WorldShortTrack #ShortTrackSkating pic.twitter.com/7xCtBMA7yE
Dubois finished one spot behind in fourth.
Xiaojun Lin of China claimed the championship title as he finished in first place, while Denis Nikisha finished in second.
Elsewhere in the women’s 1500m, Courtney Sarault skated to fifth.
The World Championships will continue from Rotterdam with the men’s and women’s 1000m and all three relay races.
