ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN –
Relay team victories established five medals for Canadian short track speed skaters at Sunday’s ISU World Cup.
Jordan Pierre-Gilles of Sherbrooke, Que., made an inside pass to a South Korean skater in the final turn to secure victory for the men’s team.
Pierre-Gilles, Steven Dubois from Terrebonne, Que., Maxime Laoun from Montreal and Felix Roussel from Sherbrooke, Que. took first place in six minutes and 56.201 seconds. South Korea was second in 6:56.453 and Japan took bronze in 6:57.289.
The women’s team of Moncton’s Courtney Sarault, Kim Boutin of Sherbrooke, Que., Claudia Gagnon of La Baie, Que., and Fredericton’s Rikki Doak led their 27-lap race from start to finish.
A collision between skaters from South Korea and the Netherlands on the last lap allowed Sarault to roll unchallenged to the finish line. After a video review, Canada won in 4:10.479 ahead of the Netherlands (4:16.038) and South Korea (4:22.605).
Boutin also secured an individual victory by finishing first in the women’s 500 meters. Sarault won silver in the women’s 1,500 and Dion bronze in the men’s 1,500.
The Canadian short track team has won 20 medals so far this season. Almaty will host another ISU World Championships next weekend.