Sarault golden again, Boutin captures silver at ISU short track opener in Montreal
Canada kicked off the short track season in emphatic fashion, earning three more medals on home ice at the ISU Short Track Speed Skating: World Tour at Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal on Sunday after already claiming four on Saturday.
Courtney Sarault claimed a second victory of the weekend as she topped the podium in the women’s 1500m, defeating Korea’s Kim Gilli and Corinne Stoddard of the United States in the race.
Kim Boutin also captured a silver medal in the women’s 500m with a time of 43.10, finishing behind Dutch skated Xandra Velzeboer who finished in 42.99 and ahead of Stoddard who crossed the line in a time of 43.16.
Canada’s third medal of the day came in the mixed relay, as the Ice Maples finished with a bronze medal in a time of 2:44.40 behind the Chinese Loongs who finished on top in 2:39.53 and the Dutch Lions finishing second. Canada was promoted to third after a penalty to Korea.
On Saturday, Sarault and William Dandjinou both captured gold, while Steven Dubois added a bronze in a thrilling start to the 2025–26 campaign.
Dandjinou, 24, continued his remarkable rise with a wire-to-wire performance in the men’s 500 m, clocking a winning time of 40.350 seconds. The Montreal native edged out Italy’s Pietro Sighel (40.414) by a fraction of a second, while compatriot Steven Dubois (40.480) secured bronze. Fellow Canadian Maxime Laoun finished just off the podium in fourth at 40.557.
Sarault, 25, followed with a composed victory in the women’s 1000 m, posting a time of 1:28.185 to edge South Korea’s Gilli Kim (1:28.250) and American Corinne Stoddard (1:28.279). The Moncton native controlled the pace through the final lap and surged ahead in the last straightaway to secure gold.
Dubois, 28, capped a stellar day for the home team, returning to form after an injury-affected offseason. His explosive start and late-race control helped him hold off teammate Laoun to claim a well-earned bronze in the men’s sprint final. Canada also earned a bronze in the women’s 3000m relay on Saturday.
