A day after securing her first individual short track World Cup medal, Canada’s Danaé Blais added another by winning silver in the women’s 1,000-metre event in Montreal on Sunday.
The Châteauguay, Que., native earned bronze in the 1,500m event on Saturday, following that performance up with a time of one minute and 31.471 seconds in the 1,000m to finish 0.183 seconds back of gold-medallist Seo Whimin of South Korea, who was able to fend off multiple passing attempts by the Canadian to close out the race.
Park Jiyun, also of South Korea, rounded out the podium with a time of 1:31.505.
WATCH | Blais claims 1,000m silver:
Featured VideoThe Châteauguay, Que. native finished with a time of 1:31.471 to place second in the women’s 1,000-metre race at the second ISU World Cup short track speed skating event in Montreal.
While the 24-year-old Blais has won 14 medals in relay events competing in the World Cup series since 2018, her best individual result entering the weekend was a fourth-place finish in the 500m event in Salt Lake City in November of 2022, with her best result in the 1,000m being a ninth-place finish in Dresden, Germany three months later.
“I fell like I’m in a dream,” Blais said in a release. “The first weekend, my objective was to win a medal. While I came close, I was a bit disappointed. This weekend, I was a little tired and didn’t feel super well. I had the impression it wouldn’t happen this weekend either, but it turned out amazing!”
Along with a gold medal in the women’s 3,000m relay last Sunday in the World Cup opener in Montreal, Blais is already halfway to the career-high six medals she won on the 2022/23 circuit with four events left to go this season.
Blais was unable to find that same success in the women’s 3,000m relay later on in the day, teaming up with Courtney Sarault of Moncton, N.B., Rikki Doak of Fredericton, N.B., and Florence Brunelle of Trois-Rivières, Que., to finish fourth in the four-team A final.
South Korea cruised around the oval for the remaining laps on their way to gold after Sarault’s violation took both the Netherlands and Canada out of contention.
The Netherlands and U.S. ended up taking silver and bronze, respectively.
Sarault also finished seventh in the second women’s 1,500m final of the weekend earlier on Sunday.
Dubois nabs pair of medals
In the second men’s 1,500m race in as many days, Steven Dubois of Terrebonne, Que., wasn’t able to equal the gold medal that William Dandjinou won in the first men’s 1,500m on Saturday, but he was able to secure a spot on the podium with a third-place time of 2:20.575.
Dubois edged Montreal’s Pascal Dion by 0.156 seconds for the bronze medal, while a pair of South Koreans in Kim Gun Woo (2:20.294) and Park Ji-won (2:20.406) took the top two spots.
WATCH | Dubois earns 1,500m bronze:
Featured VideoThe Terrebonne, Que. native clocked in at 2:20.575 to win the bronze medal in the men’s 1,500-metre race at the second ISU World Cup short track speed skating event in Montreal.
With just under three laps to go and sitting in second place, Dubois made an aggressive move to the inside to try to pass the current leader, Park. The South Korean was able to fend Dubois off, but it opened the door for Kim Gun Woo to jump into the lead and beat out his compatriot for gold.
“I knew my pass was a dangerous move, but it was a risk I was taking to try and get the win,” Dubois said. “I really felt I had the legs to get there. I think I’ve been pretty good [so far this season]. I’m showing that I can be in contention for the win, and I definitely raced for it today.”
The bronze marks the fourth career World Cup medal for Dubois in the 1,500m, an event the 26-year-old won silver in at the Beijing Olympics in 2022.
Dubois and Montreal’s Dandjinou added another medal to their collection when they combined with Félix Roussel and Jordan Pierre-Gilles — both of Sherbrooke, Que., — to win silver in the men’s 5,000m relay to wrap up the weekend’s competition.
WATCH | Canada adds silver to World Cup relay collection:
Featured VideoThe red and white finished with a time of 7:03.875 to place second in the men’s 5,000-metre relay competition at the second ISU World Cup short track speed skating event in Montreal.
Dubois, Dandjinou and Pierre-Gilles were all part of Canada’s gold-medal winning team last Sunday in the 5,000m, with Roussel subbing in for Dion on Sunday in a race that saw the Canadians finish with a time of 7:03.875 — 0.407 seconds back of the winner, China.
The Canadians held the fourth position throughout the first 35 laps, working their way up over the final 10 to secure silver.
The next stop on the World Cup series will be in Beijing from Dec. 8-10.