Canada’s Charles Hamelin wins 1,000 title at short-track world championships

SEOUL, South Korea – Charles Hamelin won the gold medal Sunday while fellow Canadian Samuel Girard took silver in the men’s 1,000-metre event at the 2016 world short-track speedskating championships.

Hamelin finished second in the men’s overall world championships standings with the win. It’s the best ever overall finish for the native of Ste-Julie, Que.

Marianne St-Gelais of St-Felicien, Que., finished second in the women’s overall standings.

Also Sunday, Kasandra Bradette of St-Felicien won bronze in the women’s 1,000 and both Canadian relay teams collected silver.

Hamelin, who also finished third in the men’s 3,000-metre Super Final, started the day in 11th place overall after being eliminated in the 500 on Friday and missing the podium in Saturday’s 1,500.

“Obviously, I would have rather come up with better results on Friday and Saturday, because I lost a chance to earn some points there that could have allowed me to be in a better position to battle for the title today,” Hamelin said. “But I’m very happy with how I did today, and the way I came back.”

China’s Han Tianyu won the men’s overall title with 68 points to Hamelin’s 34. Girard, of Ferland-et-Boilleau, Que., finished eighth.

Hamelin took the 1,00-metre title in one minute 24.436 seconds, with Girard second in 1:24.787. China’s Wu Dajing was third.

St-Gelais started the day atop the women’s standings, but fell to second after being eliminated in the women’s 1,000 and finishing fifth in the Super Final.

“I would have liked to do better in the 1,000, a distance where I know I’m able to compete with the best skaters, but I’m still quite satisfied with my weekend,” said St-Gelais. “I came here to win a world title, which I did in the 1,500, and to finish among the top-three overall and I was second, so I did more than reach my goals.”

Choi Min-jeong of South Korea, who won Sunday’s 1,000, finished first in the women’s overall standings with 66 points, three more than St-Gelais. Bradette was eighth overall.