Canadian short track speed skater Will Dandjinou continued his impressive performance at the men’s World Tour circuit in Gdansk, Poland. The Montreal skater clinched victories in both the men’s 1,500 and 500-meter finals, leading the Canadian Ice Maples to secure a total of four medals at the Hala Olivia Arena. Dandjinou’s teammates, Courtney Sarault and Steven Dubois, also stood out with silver and bronze medals, respectively.
In the men’s 1,500m final, the 24-year-old Dandjinou finished first with a time of 2:24.153, outpacing Italians Thomas Nadalini and Pietro Sighel. Dubois, hailing from Terrebonne, Que., took the sixth spot in the final with a time of 2:24.834.
Reflecting on his success after the 1,500 final, Dandjinou expressed his satisfaction with his performance under challenging ice conditions. He emphasized the importance of adapting to different ice conditions for optimal performance.
Dandjinou continued his winning streak in the men’s 500m final, securing another gold with a time of 40.849 seconds. Xiaojun Lin of China claimed silver, while Dubois earned the bronze in 41.505 seconds. Dandjinou praised the team chemistry displayed by himself and Dubois on the podium, expressing appreciation for their collective effort.
With these latest victories, Dandjinou has now accumulated five gold medals this season, solidifying his lead in the overall standings with 642 points. He holds a significant 210-point lead over Sighel, his closest competitor, while Dubois follows closely behind in third place.
In the women’s 1,000m final, Sarault secured the silver medal with a time of 1:30.575, behind gold medalist Hanna Desmet of Belgium and bronze medalist Corrine Stoddard of the United States. Sarault, currently topping the overall standings with 570 points, expressed her satisfaction with the silver medal despite challenging ice conditions.
The event in Gdansk will continue with live coverage on Sunday at 8:05 a.m. ET, available for streaming on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem. Fans can check the CBC Sports broadcast schedule for more information on upcoming short track events this season.