With 14 medals in two stops on the World Short Track Speed ​​Skating Tour, Canada has a target on its back for the rest of the season.

Quebec’s William Dandjinou added another victory to his dream season on Sunday, contributing to Canada’s four medal haul on the day. He won the 1,000 metres, while his compatriot Jordan Pierre-Gilles finished third.

The mixed and men’s relays won gold, completing the triple for the collective events this weekend.

The Maple Leaf has therefore won eight medals in this second round of the circuit, previously called the World Cup, and 14 in total since the start of the season. It has 3,106 points in the provisional ranking of the new team crystal globe, far ahead of South Korea, with 2,578.

“It’s another dream weekend, but it’s a nightmare for the other teams,” exclaimed Pierre-Gilles. “We’re extremely happy, extremely proud, but we have to get back to work because we’re going to have a target on our backs for the rest of the season.”
Of those 14 medals, five were won by Dandjinou in the six men’s individual events. On Sunday, he won a medal in the only distance in which he did not reach the podium last week at the Maurice-Richard arena.

It was also his first 1000m victory on the circuit, as he is the reigning world champion in the event. Last week, he was heading into the final when he lost his balance in the semi-final.

“We can always do better, both individually and collectively. For me, it was a little balm on my 1000m last week,” Dandjinou humbly declared, refusing to have the spotlight on him.

Dandjinou currently leads the provisional individual crystal globe standings with 500 points, compared to 328 for Italian Pietro Sighel, in second position.

For Pierre-Gilles, this is a first individual medal this season and a second bronze in the 1000m in this competition.

“I expected it less because I specialize more in the 500 m, but I worked extremely hard this summer for the 1000 m, so it feels good,” Pierre-Gilles said. “It’s gratifying to see that the work is paying off. It’s very satisfying.”

In the very last race of the day, Dandjinou, Pierre-Gilles, Félix Roussel and Steven Dubois joined forces to win the men’s relay for a second consecutive week.

After setting the tone last week by placing themselves at the front, the Canadians found themselves this time in the pack during a race that saw numerous position changes. A perfectly executed strategy finally paid off.

“We used a very different strategy than last week,” explained Pierre-Gilles. “It changed a lot, we fell behind, and we came back to be first when we wanted to be. When you get caught up in front, it usually doesn’t end any worse.”

“The relay almost seemed like a three-on-one,” Dubois added. “It seemed like [the other teams] had analyzed our races in the semifinals and quarterfinals.”

Early in the afternoon, the Canadian mixed relay put an end to a long drought without a victory that had lasted since the 2018-2019 season by beating the Dutch and the Japanese.

Head coach Marc Gagnon revealed that his team let Roussel, Dubois, Kim Boutin and Florence Brunelle choose their own strategy. A decision that proved beneficial.

Last week, the Canadian team won bronze despite falling in the final. This is a third consecutive medal for Canada, which has historically had little success in this relay.

“It was one of our goals to focus our efforts on this event,” Boutin revealed. “We didn’t understand why it wasn’t working. And now, the more we do it, the more we understand each other. Before, we maybe didn’t take this distance seriously.”

Boutin also competed in the 1500m final and finished fifth. Well placed in the lead group for most of the race, she seemed to run out of energy in the final laps.

The four-time Olympic medallist has not won a medal in the 1,500m on the circuit since the 2019-20 season. She is now considering giving up her place in this distance, contested just before the 500m according to the new competition format.

“I really lacked explosiveness,” she regretted.

Danaé Blais finished third in the consolation final. Also qualified for this one, Brunelle was not on the starting line. Preferring to save her energy for the 500 m, she was however unable to get past the quarterfinals.

Boutin and Rikki Doak competed in the 500m B final and placed second and fourth respectively. The Canadians are still looking for their first individual medal of the season.

“Individually, we all have little things to work on to reach the top of our game,” said Boutin. “There were some great races, we were maybe missing a few laps, but that’s something we’ll get with experience. It’s a matter of time.”

Skaters from around the world will now be able to rest a little before resuming training, in preparation for the next stop on the World Tour in Beijing, China, from December 6 to 8.