Canada’s Dandjinou races to gold in two events at short-track speedskating event

GDANSK — Canadian star speedskater William Dandjinou raced to gold in the men’s 500- and 1,500-metre events on Saturday at the third stop of the ISU Short Track World Tour.

The four-time world champion from Montreal topped the podium in the 500 with a time of 40.849 seconds. He took the 1,500 in two minutes 24.153 seconds in what was a four-medal day for Canada.

Courtney Sarault of Moncton, N.B., won silver in the women’s 1,000 metres while Steven Dubois of Lachenaie, Que., took bronze in the men’s 500.

“I’m really happy with my 500m and 1500m today. They weren’t easy races,” Dandjinou said. “The ice conditions here are very difficult, so we had to make a lot of adjustments.

“In the 1500m, I really liked how I managed to adapt to different track patterns. It was a very exciting race. And sharing the podium with Steven in the 500m was great.”

Dandjinou led for 11 of the 14 laps in the 1,500 to finish just ahead of Italy’s Thomas Nadalni (2:24.215). Another Italian, Pietro Sighel, was third (2:24.288).

Sarault skated to silver in the women’s 1,000 in 1:30.575, just behind Belgium’s Hanne Desmet (1:30.422). Corinne Stoddard of the United States was third (1:30.589). Florence Brunelle of Trois-Rivières, Que., was fourth.

“We knew going in that the ice conditions weren’t going to be the best, so I was just trying to race a bit smarter,” Sarault said. “I don’t know if I made the best decisions but I’m happy with how I fought through the race and got the silver regardless.”

Dubois crossed the line in the men’s 500 in 41.505 seconds, behind Dandjinou and China’s Lin Xiaojun (41.120).

“The 500m was a really tough race,” said Dubois, who also finished sixth in the 1,500. “I started in fourth place and lost a position at the start. That doesn’t happen to me very often, but it gave me a bit of a challenge. I made a few passes and just raced really well, even with the incredibly difficult ice conditions.”

Competition continues Sunday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2025.