Weekend Roundup: Six world championship medals in short track
Canadian athletes competed at World Championships once again this weekend. This time, short track speed skaters faced the best in the world in Seoul, South Korea. The FIS World Cup season continues for a few more weeks as athletes take the opportunity to add to their medal haul.
Here’s what you missed this past week:
Dubois, Sarault highlight six medal weekend at short track Worlds
The speed skating short track season concluded with the World Championships in Seoul, Korea this weekend
Team Canada capped off a successful 2022-23 season with six medals including a number of notable results.
Steven Dubois took the podium on back-to-back days, claiming silver in the 1000m and 500m to win his first ever World Championship medals in an individual distance.
READ: Double podium weekend at Short Track World Championships for Dubois
Courtney Sarault also took the podium twice, winning bronze in the women’s 1000m, and as part of the relay team that included Kim Boutin, Claudia Gagnon and Renee Marie Steenge.
Gagnon was fourth in the 1000m.
Kim Boutin also took the podium twice this weekend after winning bronze in the 1500m – her third career medal in the distance. Sarault finished fifth while Gagnon was second in the B final, for the ninth place overall.
Pascal Dion claimed World Championship bronze in the 1500m on the men’s side.
Dubois and Dion then teamed up with Maxime Laoun and Jordan Pierre-Gilles in the men’s 5000m relay. After a fall, the Canadians had to settle for fourth place.
In the B Final, Maxime Laoun finished first in the men’s 500m, to conclude sixth overall.
Rikki Doak finished fourth in the women’s 500m.
Ski cross: Howden stays on top of World Cup standings with bronze
The overall leader in the men’s ski cross World Cup standings was able to come away with some hardware this weekend.
Reece Howden claimed bronze on Sunday and remains in first place heading into the final weekend of the 2022-23 season.
On the women’s side, Tiana Gairns claimed her first career World Cup podium with an impressive performance in the women’s ski cross event.
READ: Bronze medal finishes for Howden and Gairns in ski cross
Brady Leman placed sixth on the men’s side, while five Canadians finished within the top eight on the women’s side on Sunday. Marielle Thompson (fourth), Courtney Hoffos (sixth), Hannah Schmidt (seventh), and India Sherret (eighth) all had memorable performances.
Alpine skiing: Laurence St-Germain & Valérie Grenier Top 6 finish in Sweden
On Saturday, Laurence St-Germain finished fifth in the slalom, 1.59 seconds from first place after two runs. It was her third World Cup top 10 finish of the season.
Friday, Valérie Grenier was sixth in the giant slalom. Placing second after the first run, she struggled to maintain her lead, finishing 1.80 seconds behind the winner after two runs. This has been a breakthrough season for Grenier who won the giant slalom at the World Cup in Kranjska Gora last January.
Ski jumping: Top 10 finishes for Loutitt and Strate
On Saturday, at the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup in Oslo, Norway, Alexandria Loutitt placed seventh in the women’s large hill, while Abigail Strate finished ninth. Sunday, another large hill event was contested and Loutitt finished sixth and Strate tenth.
Snowboard cross: Audrey McManiman nearly reaches podium on back-to-back days
Audrey McManiman was close to the podium twice this weekend at the FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup in Sierra Nevada, Spain. She finished fifth on Saturday and then fourth on Sunday in the women’s snowboard cross.
On the men’s side, Eliot Grondin finished fifth in Saturday’s race. On Sunday, he was not able to reach the semi-finals, finishing ninth.
Biathlon: Two Top 10’s for Lunder
Emma Lunder reached the top 10 once again. She finished fifth in the women’s 15km individual at the IBU World Cup in Östersund, Sweden, with a perfect performance at the shooting range. In the 12.5 km mass start, she had another solid performance, missing only one target and finishing in eighth place.
Curling: Team Gushue win fifth Brier
For the fifth time in seven years, Team Gushue, now composed of Brad Gushue, Mark Nichols, EJ Harnden and Geoff Walker, won the Brier Championship, the tournament which crowns the best men’s curling team in Canada.
Brad Gushue becomes the first skip to win five Brier titles. Nichols and Walker also claim their fifth career title.
Since their bronze medal at Beijing 2022, Team Gushue’s roster has changed, EJ Harnden replacing Brett Gallant.
Team Gushue of Newfoundland and Labrador defeated Team Manitoba skipped by Matt Dunstone 7-5 in the Brier final in London, Ont. for the win and receive the honour to represent Canada at the World Men’s Curling Championship, April 1-9 in Ottawa.
