Canada cleaned up on Day One of the ISU Short Track World Tour, winning three gold medals and adding two silvers to their overall medal count 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 this season in the 1500m with a gold medal – his third of the season.
The final gold of the day 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 went on to cap off Canada’s five-medal day with a silver in the 1000m. She won gold at the previous World Tour event in Beijing.
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 nearly 300 points ahead of Park after accumulating 128 points on Saturday.
In the 500m, Steven Dubois is the overall leader by 108 points thanks to Saturday’s gold. Dandjinou sits in second place while Pierre-Gilles is in third.
Danae Blais, who won two medals Saturday, is now in third place in the overall classification.
Action continues tomorrow from Seoul with the women’s 500m, 1500m as well as the mixed relay. The men’s side will feature the 1000m race and 5000m relay.
