Jordan Pierre-Gilles brings home 500m bronze medal in unique fashion after three skaters fall in A Final

ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – Kim Boutin became World Champion in the 500m on Saturday, reaching the top step of the podium in the distance for the first time in her career during the ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Rotterdam.

After taking a step back from international competition earlier this season to focus on her studies, the two-time Olympic bronze medalist in the 500m showed that she still has what it takes to compete against the fastest skaters on the planet.

Starting from the second position in the A Final, Boutin (Sherbrooke, Que.) grabbed the lead right off the start and stayed out in front the entire race, building up speed with a wide track pattern that allowed her to block any incoming pass attempts. The 29-year-old crossed the finish line with a time of 42.626, ahead of defending champion Xandra Velzeboer of the Netherlands (42.833) and Kristen Santos-Griswold of the United States (42.929).

The win marked Boutin’s first career World Championship title in the 500m, adding to the silver medal she won on home ice in Montreal in 2022. She joins Isabelle Charest and Kalyna Roberge as the only Canadian women to have won gold in the distance at the prestigious competition in the past 20 years.

Canada’s Jordan Pierre-Gilles, the World Cup leader in the men’s 500m, also reached the World Championship podium on Saturday, bringing home the 500m bronze medal after an eventful A Final. His teammate Steven Dubois finished one spot behind in fourth.

Both Canadians fell with two laps remaining in the race after losing an edge in corner. While they looked to be out of podium contention, Italy’s Pietro Sighel, who was sitting in third place at the time, had a fall of his own shortly after which opened the door for the Canadians.

Pierre-Gilles, who was the quickest of the three fallen skaters to get back onto his feet, coasted to a bronze medal despite crossing the finish line over 10-seconds behind the next skater (52.289). It was the first World Championship of his career in an individual distance, eclipsing his previous best ninth-place result in the 500m from 2022.China’s Lin Xiaojun took home the title (41.592), narrowly edging out Denis Nikisha of Kazakhstan (41.676).

Courtney Sarault was Canada’s top skater in the 1500m, earning a fifth-place result after sneaking into the A Final as the fastest third-place finisher in the semifinals. The Moncton native worked her way to the middle of the pack with six laps remaining but was unable to move any close to the podium. Korea’s Kim Gilli (2:21.192) was crowned world champion, ahead of American’s Kristen Santos-Griswold (2:21.413) and Corinne Stoddard (2:22.244).

Meanwhile, Pascal Dion (Montreal, Que.) and Renée Steenge (Brampton, Ont.) took part in the 1500m B Final, finishing eighth and thirteenth overall in the distance, respectively. Rikki Doak (Fredericton, N.B.) finished third in the 500m B Final, ranking eighth overall in the distance.

The ISU World Short Track Championships concludes tomorrow, where titles will be awarded in the 1000m and all three relays. Races will be live streamed on CBC Sports and Radio-Canada Sports digital platforms, with television coverage available on CBC and ICI Télé.

Quotes

“I think this was a nice way to finish the comeback! It took me 10 years of racing in World Cups before winning a gold medal at the World Championships, and I’m really happy to finally have done it! I told my coach last year that I was tired of my second-place finishes. There were some super strong girls in my races. Every time I was overtaken by Kristen [Santos-Griswold]. I told myself that, in the finals, I would start a little slower in my first lap and that caused chaos behind me. All four girls were really stuck to each other, and I was able to get out in front. I didn’t expect to win at World Championships at all after taking time off this season. For me, this was a huge bonus. I am really happy about what I was able to accomplish here today and also for choosing myself throughout this process.”

Kim Boutin

“I’m happy with my result and my first individual medal at the World Championships! It’s bittersweet. I’m happy with the result, but I wanted gold. When you fall in a race, you don’t expect a podium. Since I was young, my parents always taught me to race to the finish line. I got up right after I fell to finish the race, not thinking for a minute I would win a medal. When I crossed the line, my teammates and coaches were shouting that I was third and I said, ‘I’ll take it!’. Being ranked number one in the World Cup rankings in the 500m, I was clearly going for the gold. In the semifinals, I had a bump with the Chinese skater. The referees intervened and advanced me to the finals, but they didn’t penalize him. He was starting in lane one in the final, whereas I was in lane five, which made the job way harder than what I expected. It’s hard to come from there all the way to the front of the pack. And it was also obvious that the ice was a little worse than in the previous rounds because there were three falls. I think there may have also been some dirt on the ice, which could have caused those lost edges.”

Jordan Pierre-Gilles

Results

500m

Kim Boutin: 1st
Rikki Doak: 8th
Danaé Blais: 41^st (DNS)
Jordan Pierre-Gilles: 3rd
Steven Dubois: 4th
William Dandjinou: 11th

1500m

Courtney Sarault: 5th
Renée Steenge: 13th
Danaé Blais: 19th
Pascal Dion: 9th
Steven Dubois: 14th
William Dandjinou: 23rd