10 accomplished short track speed skaters to suit up for Team Canada at Milano Cortina 2026 

Over the last two seasons, the Canadian Ice Maples have been the cream of the crop on the ISU Short Track World Tour, winning back-to-back Team Crystal Globes. 

Now, 10 of those short track speed skaters have been nominated to represent Team Canada at Milano Cortina 2026. That group includes seven athletes with Olympic experience alongside three athletes who will be making their Olympic debuts. 

The women’s team includes four-time Olympic medallist Kim Boutin, who is heading to her third straight Olympic Winter Games. She reached the podium in all three women’s individual events at PyeongChang 2018 and then added a 500m bronze at Beijing 2022. Over the last decade, she has won 17 medals at the ISU World Short Track Championships. She claimed her first world title in 2024 when she won gold in the 500m. She won two more gold medals at the 2025 Worlds in the women’s 3000m relay and mixed relay. 

Ready to build on her recent success is Beijing 2022 Olympian Courtney Sarault. She won the Crystal Globe as the top woman on the ISU Short Track World Tour this season on the strength of nine individual medals, including five gold. She had started the season by going nine-for-nine at the Canadian Short Track Championships to win her second national title in three years. 

READ: Courtney Sarault discovers new mental strength after two years of challenges

Sarault found new mental strength heading into this season after two challenging years in which she experienced negative effects of overtraining and then a concussion. After missing the start of the 2024-25 season, she was able to cap it off on a high note with silver medals in the 1000m and 1500m at the 2025 World Championships as well as a gold medal with the women’s relay. 

Leading the Olympic rookies is William Dandjinou, who has won two straight Crystal Globes as the top man on the World Tour circuit. In 2024-25, he racked up eight individual victories across the six World Tour stops. This fall, he earned seven individual gold medals across the four World Tour stops. 

Since being an alternate for Beijing 2022, Dandjinou has become a four-time world champion. He won gold in the 1000m at the 2024 ISU World Short Track Championships and added three more gold medals at the 2025 Worlds. That includes an individual title in the 1500m, as well as being part of the victorious Canadian teams in the men’s 5000m relay and mixed relay. 

Joining Dandjinou on the men’s team are three members of the gold medal-winning 5000m relay at Beijing 2022—Steven Dubois, Maxime Laoun, and Jordan Pierre-Gilles—as well as another Olympic first-timer, Félix Roussel. They all contributed to the gold medal won in the men’s 5000m relay at the 2025 World Championships. 

Dubois was a triple medallist at Beijing 2022, winning 1500m silver and 500m bronze in addition to the relay gold. He won four gold medals at the 2025 World Championships, becoming world champion in the 500m and 1000m as well as the men’s relay and mixed relay. He was also on the podium in the 500m and 1000m at the 2023 World Championships. Dubois ranked third in the overall World Tour standings this season. 

Pierre-Gilles won 500m bronze at the 2024 World Championships after topping the 500m standings during the ISU World Cup season. He competed sparingly this fall while coming back from a knee injury sustained over the summer. Laoun and Roussel have been stalwarts of the successful relays in recent years while also making some individual breakthroughs. 

Florence Brunelle and Rikki Doak were also members of the victorious women’s relay at the 2025 World Championships. In 2022, Brunelle was Canada’s youngest ever Olympian in short track speed skating at 18 years old. She accumulated eight medals, including four gold, at the ISU World Junior Championships from 2020 to 2023. Doak will be the only Olympic rookie on the women’s team. She won 500m silver at the 2025 World Championships, two years after finishing fourth in the event in her world championship debut.  

READ: Florence Brunelle is choosing short track speed skating every day

Rounding out the squad is Danaé Blais, who will make her second straight Olympic appearance. She is a three-time world championship medallist in relay events who has been an individual medallist on the World Tour. 

The team is guided by coaches Marc Gagnon, who is himself a five-time Olympic medallist, and Sébastien Cros.   

Based on results from the four ISU Short Track World Tour stops this season, Canada has qualified the maximum number of Olympic entries. That includes three starting spots in every individual event. It is only the second time since Nagano 1998 that Canada has achieved that. 

Since short track speed skating was officially added to the Olympic program at Albertville 1992, Canada has won 37 Olympic medals (10 gold, 13 silver, 14 bronze), tied for second all-time. Short track speed skating is Canada’s second most successful Winter Olympic sport behind only long track speed skating in which 42 medals have been won.  

At Milano Cortina 2026, short track speed skating will take place on February 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 at the Milano Ice Skating Arena, a venue shared with figure skating. 

Team Canada Short Track Speed Skaters at Milano Cortina 2026: 

Danaé Blais (Châteauguay, Que.)
Kim Boutin (Sherbrooke, Que.)
Florence Brunelle (Trois-Rivières, Que.)
Rikki Doak (Fredericton, N.B.)
Courtney Sarault (Moncton, N.B.)

William Dandjinou (Montreal, Que.)
Steven Dubois (Terrebonne, Que.)
Maxime Laoun (Montreal, Que.)
Jordan Pierre-Gilles (Sherbrooke, Que.)
Félix Roussel (Sherbrooke, Que.)