Canada’s Brunelle and Sarault win gold at short-track speedskating World Tour stop

TILBURG — Canadian short-track speedskaters Florence Brunelle and Courtney Sarault won World Tour gold on Sunday.

Brunelle, from Trois-Rivieres, Que., finished first in the women’s 500 metres for her first career individual World Tour title.

She crossed the line in 43.141 seconds, just ahead of Michelle Velzeboer of the Netherlands and American Kristen Santos-Griswold.

“I am extremely happy and proud,” she said. “In the last two World Tour stops, I earned the silver medal. I knew that gold was possible, but it’s still important to make it happen.”

Sarault, from Moncton, N.B., took top spot in the women’s 1,500-metre final in two minutes 27.388 seconds.

“I think I (skated) the perfect race to get myself in the right spot at the right time,” she said.

Belgium’s Hanne Desmet crossed the line first but missed out on gold after she was penalized for making contact with another skater. Italy’s Elisa Confortola took silver and American Corinne Stoddard picked up bronze.

Canada won five medals at the competition. The final ISU World Tour stop of the season starts Friday in Milan, Italy.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 9, 2025.