Canadian short-track speedskater Brunelle wins silver at world juniors

DRESDEN, Germany – Canadian speedskater Florence Brunelle capped her junior career on Sunday by winning a silver medal at the world junior short track championships.

Brunelle, from Trois-Rivieres, Que., made a double-inside pass late in the race to take second spot behind South Korea’s Gilli Kim, who finished in one minute 32.294 seconds.

Brunelle was second in 1:32.780 and South Korea’s Songmi Oh took third in 1:32.960.

“I was ready to go out and win today, but after the first two laps I found myself at the back of the pack,” Brunelle said. “Given the circumstances of the race, I had to adapt and find a way to make some passes and get back into contention. I am happy with how I was able to overcome that challenge.”

Brunelle, 19, became the first Canadian to reach the podium in all three individual distances at a single world junior championship since Marie-Eve Drolet in 2001.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2023.