Boutin Golden at Home with 1000m World Cup Victory in Montreal /

November 10, 2019

Speed Skating Canada - Steven Dubois picks up silver medal in the 1000m for his first podium result of the season
 
Kim Boutin with her gold medal and podium-mates Whi Min Seo and Kexin Fan at the ISU World Cup Short Track in Montreal.
Credit: Greg Kolz, Speed Skating Canada
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MONTREAL, QC – Kim Boutin continued her dominance on the international short track circuit this season, skating to a gold medal in the 1000m-1 at the World Cup in Montreal. Steven Dubois was the first Canadian man to step on the podium in the 2019-20 campaign, picking up a silver medal in the same distance. 
 
Boutin, skating in front of fans from her hometown of Sherbrooke, Que., took the lead position mid-way through her race, at which point victory never seemed in doubt. Her time of 1:30.827 put her well ahead of Korea's Whi Min Seo and Kexin Fan of China. So far this season, she has won three gold medals in three races, over three different distances.

In his race, Dubois (Lachenaie, Que.) crossed the line in 1:26.739, behind only Korean Dae Heon Hwang, who has been dominant in the 1000m distance over the past year. China's Tianyu Han rounded out the podium. It is the first individual World Cup silver of Dubois' career, having brought home three bronze last season.

Other Results to Note

  • Claudia Gagnon (Sageunay, Que.) and Maxime Laoun (Montreal, Que.) also skated in A Finals on Saturday, the first of their World Cup careers, placing fifth in the 1500m and 1000m-1, respectively.
  • Charles Hamelin fell in his semifinal of the men's 1500m to end his podium hopes, finishing the distance ranked 17th.   
  • Canada’s ladies' relay advanced to Sunday's medal race after an exciting semifinal, where they out-skated the reigning Olympic and World Champions from Korea.
  • The Canadian mixed gender and men's relay teams were eliminated from competition earlier in the weekend after a fall in each led to failed exchanges between skaters.
  • Pascal Dion (Montreal, Que.) suffered a leg injury in the men's relay on Friday and was forced to withdraw from his remaining events.

The action in Montreal wraps up Sunday with the 500m and 1000m-2 finals, along with the medal rounds for the men’s and women’s relays. Tickets are still available online and at the door. The competition will be live streamed on CBC Sports beginning at 2:00PM ET.
“I’m very happy with how I raced. I was in last place and the Koreans were going pretty fast. I saw their strategy – one in tight and the other to the outside to try and block me. I was thinking of doing an outside pass, but when the opportunity presented itself on the inside, I took it. One of my teammates always says that pressure is a privilege, so I am for sure happy to have won a medal [in Montreal].”
- Kim Boutin
“It’s [winning] the best feeling in the world, especially because it’s a medal in what I consider my worst distance. I think I raced with my strengths and didn’t really settle into one style of racing. And when I started my pass outside, I heard the crowd yelling and it gave me a boost, which was magical. Things have been going well for the first two World Cups and if we’re getting these kinds of results in the beginning of the season, I’m excited to see what’s next. ”
- Steven Dubois
“I really wanted to come out with a medal today. My course was going super well – I wanted to position myself near the front so that I could explode and fight to the finish, but with three laps remaining I put my skate on a block and fell into the matts. I’ve races a lot in Montreal, and around Quebec, and had both good and bad results. It’s just part of the game.”
- Charles Hamelin
Additional Canadian Results
  • Rikki Doak (Fredericton, N.B.): 8th in 1000m-1
  • Alyson Charles (Montreal, Que.): 10th in 1000m-1
  • Danaé Blais (Châteauguay, Que.): 11th in 1500m
  • Cédrik Blais (Châteauguay, Que.): 13th in 1000m-1
  • Courtney Sarault (Moncton, N.B.): 20th in 1500m
  • William Dandjinou (Verdun, Que.): 25th in 1500m
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MEDIA CONTACT
Alain Brouillette
Speed Skating Canada
communications@speedskating.ca
613-601-2630