Dresden Day 3: Canada captures double gold on 500m

Canada had a good day at work in Germany on the final day of competition of the fifth leg of the World Cup season in short track speed skating. 

By Carl Savard

Photo by Martin Holtom

Boutin once again

Kim Boutin's season in the 500m is so far perfect. In addition to having lowered the world record last fall, the Sherbrooke native won her fifth gold medal over the distance in as many visits to the grand final this season. China's Qu Chunyu took the silver medal, while the reigning world champion on the distance, Netherlands' Lara van Ruijven, won the bronze medal. 

On the men's side, Canada's Cedrik Blais managed to qualify for the grand final with an excellent performance in the semifinal eliminating even world record holder Wu Dajing. However, it was his teammate Steven Dubois who had the upper hand in the grand final, winning the event ahead of Hungary's Liu Shaolin Sandor and the young Dutchman Melle van 'T Wout.  Constantly progressing over the last decade, the Dutch team's next wave of athletes showed great things this weekend in Germany. 

Some movement in the World cup rankings on 1500m
On 1500m, Suzanne Schulting won a somewhat messy final to win gold in her favourite distance. This victory combined with the 6th place of China's Han Yu Tong allowed Schulting to move up to the top of the World Cup rankings, a few dozen points ahead of the Chinese. Russia's Sofia Prosvirnova (silver) and France's Tifany Huot Marchand (bronze) accompanied Schulting on the podium. Canada's Danaé Blais won the B final. 


On the men's side, as it was the case for the women, a victory combined with a counter performance changed the season rankings with one competition to go. Korea's Park Ji Won is now in the lead following his victory while his teammate Lee June Seo slides to second place following a penalty in today's grand final. China's An Kai who was ranked 2nd in the standings and who had qualified for both 1500m heats this weekend slipped to 3rd place following his elimination in the semifinals today. Russia's Semen Elistratov (silver) and Hungary's John Henry Krueger (bronze) completed the podium in today's event.

Netherlands and Korea breath a sigh of relief in the relays

On the relay, the Dutch ladies won their first World Cup gold medal of the season, finishing ahead of the Chinese, who currently lead the overall standings. The bronze medal went to the Japanese. On the men's side, the Koreans won their first gold medal of the season on the circuit, having finished second three times and third on one occasion. The Russians finished second today and are still leading the season standings with one competition to go. The Dutch won bronze today, their best result of the season. 

For full results click HERE

For Day 2 recap click HERE

For Day 1 recap click HERE

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Day 2 in Dresden: Kim Ji Yoo surprises Schulting - Park Ji Won dominates

The best skaters in the world are currently competing at the fifth Short Track World Cup in Dresden, Germany.

By Florence Gauthier
Photos by Martin Holtom

1000m - The Koreans, masters of the situation

Regulars of short track speed skating know the Korean long-distance strategy: stay in the back of the pack to keep your legs fresh and accelerate towards the end to win the race. On the men's side, this strategy paid off for the World Cup distance leader Park Ji Won, who finished first. Shaolin Sandor Liu (HUN) won the silver medal and Yoshinaga Kazuki (JPN) closed the podium. The women had to work twice as hard compared to a regular 1000m since, two laps from the end, the race was stopped after a fall from Lee Yu Bin (KOR) and Sofia Prosvirnova (RUS). The Korean was penalized and unfortunately went out on a stretcher and the Russian was also penalized. When the race resumed, Suzanne Schulting (NED), Courtney Lee Sarault (CAN) and Kim Ji Yoo (KOR) fought for first place. A hot fight between Schulting and Kim saw the Korean win the distance. Sarault managed to take second place at the very end and Schulting settled for bronze.

1500m - Some first-timers on the men's side - Boutin penalized

The public was treated with an exciting race for the men's A final. From the start, Ren Ziwei (CHN) accelerated to try to take a lap on the other skaters. The attempt narrowly failed, but his lead allowed him to win the race. Two new faces ended up on the podium. In his first career World Cup, Sven Roes (NED) used the adrenaline from his first A final to win the silver medal. Kim Dagyeom (KOR) had visited the podium in relays this season but had never won an individual medal on the circuit. This is no longer the case thanks to his bronze medal in the distance. To everyone's surprise, the 1500m overall leader in the World Cup, Lee June Seo (KOR), was disqualified following a line change in an overtaking. The women's A final was not easy either. Kim Boutin (CAN), fifth on the distance, was in a good position, but she made a bad overtaking and was penalized. Choi Min Jeong (KOR) used the Korean strategy to go for the gold. On the podium, Noh Ah Rum (KOR) was on the second step and Han Yu Tong (CHN), the distance leader, finished on the third step.

Mixed relay - First victory of the season for the Hungarians

In their first A final of the season, the Hungarians defeated the other teams to win gold. The last handover went to Shaolin Sandor Liu for Hungary and Semen Elistratov on the Russian side. The two skaters fought a close battle, but the Hungarian emerged victorious. The French followed the Russians on the podium to win the bronze medal. Unfortunately, in the middle of the race, a skater from the Netherlands fell, which cost the team a place on the podium.

For full results click HERE
For Day 1 recap it's HERE

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Jour 2 à Dresde: Kim Ji Yoo surprend Schulting – Park Ji Won domine

Les meilleurs patineurs du monde s’affrontent présentement à la cinquième Coupe du monde de courte piste qui a lieu à Dresde en Allemagne.

Par Florence Gauthier
Photos par Martin Holtom

1000m - Les Coréens maîtrisent la situation

Les habitués du patinage de vitesse courte piste connaissent la stratégie habituelle des Coréens lors des longues distances : rester à l’arrière du peloton pour se « garder » des jambes et accélérer vers la fin pour remporter la course. Du côté des hommes, cette stratégie a porté fruit à Park Ji Won, le meneur de la distance en Coupe du monde, qui a terminé premier. Shaolin Sandor Liu (HUN) a remporté la médaille d’argent et Yoshinaga Kazuki (JPN) a fermé le podium. Les femmes ont eu à travailler doublement plus fort qu'à l'habitude puisqu’à deux tours de la fin, la course a été arrêtée suite à des chutes de Lee Yu Bin (KOR) et Sofia Prosvirnova (RUS). Les deux patineuses ont été pénalisées et la Coréenne est malheureusement sortie sur une civière. À la reprise de la course, Suzanne Schulting (NED), Courtney Lee Sarault (CAN) et Kim Ji Yoo (KOR) se battaient pour la première place. Une chaude lutte entre Schulting et Kim a vu la Coréenne remporter la distance. Sarault a réussi à prendre la deuxième place à la toute fin et Schulting s’est contentée du bronze.

1500m – Des premières fois chez les hommes - Boutin pénalisée

Le public a eu droit à un spectacle enlevant pour la finale A chez les hommes. Dès le début de la course, Ren Ziwei (CHN) a accéléré pour tenter de prendre un tour sur le peloton. La tentative a échoué de peu, mais son avance lui a permis de gagner la course. Deux nouveaux visages sont montés sur le podium. À sa première Coupe du monde en carrière, Sven Roes (NED) a su aller puiser l’énergie de l’adrénaline de sa première finale A pour remporter la médaille d’argent. Kim Dagyeom (KOR) a goûté au podium lors des relais cette saison, mais n’avait jamais remporté de médailles individuelles. Ce n’est plus le cas grâce à sa médaille de bronze sur la distance. À la grande surprise de tous, le meneur du 1500m au classement général en Coupe du monde, Lee June Seo (KOR), a été disqualifié suite à un changement de ligne dans un dépassement. La finale A des femmes n’a pas été de tout repos non plus. Kim Boutin (CAN), cinquième sur la distance, était en bonne position, mais un mauvais dépassement lui a nuit et elle a été pénalisée. Choi Min Jeong (KOR) a utilisé la stratégie coréenne pour aller remporter l’or. Sur le podium, Noh Ah Rum (KOR) était sur la deuxième marche et Han Yu Tong (CHN), la meneuse sur la distance, a terminé troisième .

Relais mixte – Première victoire de la saison pour les Hongrois

À leur première finale A de la saison, les Hongrois ont vaincu les équipes qu'ils affrontaient. Le dernier passage de relais est allé à Shaolin Sandor Liu pour la Hongrie et Semen Elistratov pour les Russes. Les deux patineurs ont livré une bataille serrée, mais le Hongrois en est sorti vainqueur. Les Français ont suivi les Russes sur le podium pour remporter la médaille de bronze. Malheureusement, en milieu de course, un patineur des Pays-Bas a chuté, ce qui a probablement coûté une place à son équipe sur le podium.

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Get ready for quite a show in Dresden this weekend

After the Holiday season, the Four continents, European and World junior championships the best skaters from all around the globes are back in action this weekend in Germany for the fifth leg of the 2019-2020 season in short track .

By Carl Savard

Photo by Martin Holtom

Dubois stumbles on 1000m

On 1000m, nothing to declare on the women’s side other than the fact that USA’s Maame Biney will have to go through the repêchage if she wants to compete on the distance this weekend. All the favorites on the men’s side went through except Canada’s Steven Dubois. His teammate Jordan Pierre-Gilles was advanced after being part of one of the only two races on the distance that saw some skaters being penalised (Kruzbergs and Shamukhanov in one and Navarro in the other).

Christie will need the repêchage

On 500m, Elise Christie who hasn’t skate a lot this season due to injuries and health issues will have to go through the repêchage if she wants to take part in the medal rounds during the weekend. On the men’s side, China’s Ren Ziwei will be the biggest absent in the sprint distance. He was penalised in the heat round. His teammate Sun Long, who just won a bronze medal on the distance at the World junior championships, the Australian Andy Jung and Russia’s Pavel Sitnikov also saw their competition on 500m being cut short by penalties. 

A strong showing on 1500m

This weekend’s competition offers two occasions of winning medals on 1500m. Not much to report on either of the two qualification rounds on the women’s side other than the fact that some skaters like Hungary’s Deanna Lockett, Canada’s Danaé Blais and Belgium’s Hanne Desmet were able to qualify for the main event on both. On the men’s side, the actual leader of the World cup circuit on the distance, Korea’s Lee June Seo, qualified on one of the two while his biggest rival this season, China’s An Kai, was able to qualify in both. A situation that could have a big impact on the final ranking of the season. 

Click HERE for full results of Day 1

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Préparez-vous à tout un spectacle ce weekend à Dresden

Après une pause pour la période des fêtes, les Championnats  des quatre continents, les Championnats Européens et les Championnats du monde junior, les meilleurs patineurs de courte piste reprennent maintenant leur saison de Coupe du monde 2019-2020 avec la cinquième manche se tenant ce weekend en Allemagne. 

Par Carl Savard

Photo par Martin Holtom

Dubois trébuche

Peu de rebondissements sur 1000m chez les femmes outre le fait que l’Américaine Maame Biney devra passer par le repêchage si elle veut participer au tableau principal sur la distance ce weekend. À part le Canadien Steven Dubois, tous les gros noms du circuit passent directement au tableau principal sur 1000m. Le coéquipier de Dubois, le Sherbrookois Jordan Pierre-Gilles, a été avancé à la ronde suivante à la suite de l’une des deux seules courses où des pénalités ont été décernées. Kruzbergs et Shamukhanov ont été pénalisés dans la vague de Pierre-Gilles alors que le chemin de Tristan Navarro s’est également arrêté aujourd'hui suite à une pénalité.

Un chemin plus sinueux pour Christie

Sur 500m, la Britannique Elise Christie qui a peu patiné cette saison dû à des blessures et à des ennuis de santé, devra passer par le repêchage si elle veut participer au grand show sur 500m. Du côté des hommes, le Chinois Ren Ziwei sera absent du programme principal ayant été pénalisé aujourd'hui. Son compatriote Sun Long qui vient de remporter une médaille de bronze sur la distance aux Championnats du monde junior a également été pénalisé tout comme le Russe Pavel Sitnikov et l’Australien Andy Jung. 

Le vent pourrait tourner au classement du 1500m

La compétition du weekend offre deux possibilités de médaille sur 1500m. Nous avons eu droit à des vagues de qualification plutôt tranquilles du côté des femmes, mais notons tout de même que certaines patineuses dont la Hongroise Deanna Lockett, la Canadienne Danaé Blais et la Belge Hanne Desmet ont réussi à se qualifier pour les deux séries de courses sur 1500m. Chez les hommes le meneur au classement actuel de la saison de Coupe du monde, le Coréen Lee June Seo, a réussi à sa qualifier pour l’un des deux 1500m alors que son plus proche poursuivant au classement le Chinois An Kai est arrivé à le faire sur les deux. Cette situation pourrait avoir un impact majeur sur le classement général de la saison qui se terminera le weekend prochain aux Pays-Bas. 

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Dresden Day 3: Russia and Canada in gold / Schulting still flawless on 1000m

Yesterday was the last day of competition at EnergieVerbund Arena in Dresden, Germany and we were served our portion of action.

By Caroline Truchon

Photos by SchaatsFoto's

Valcepina in control on 500m

In the women's 500m, Martina Valcepina had a great start to take the lead and keep it until the end to win the gold medal. Lara van Ruijven from the Netherlands and Natalia Maliszewska from Poland followed in 2nd and 3rd place. The positions remained unchanged throughout the race. Only Kim Boutin and Elise Christie traded 4th and 5th place. Boutin started 5th on the starting line after being advanced to the main final by the referee following a fall in the semifinals. It's good to see Elise Christie back in the final legs of the World cup season, after good performances at the European championships.

In the men's 500m, we had a semifinal with six skaters, resulting in three falls and a penalty. Hwang Dae Heon of Korea and Ren Ziwei of China came out unscathed to qualify for the A final. It was Hwang who led the whole race in the final to finally be overtaken by his teammate Lim Hyo Jun at the finish line. Cédrik Blais of Canada took 3rd place with three laps to go and won the bronze medal, unable to find an opening to pass the two Korean leaders.

Schulting unbeatable on 1000m

In the women's 1000m, Saturday's winner Sofia Prosvirnova was unfortunately the victim of a fall in the quarterfinal yesterday. Cynthia Mascitto was impressive once again Sunday, passing both Chinese skaters Zhang Chutong and Zang Yize by the outside during the final lap of her quarterfinal. We must underline the performance of Kristen Santos from the USA who finished second in her quarterfinal behind Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands and ahead of Shim Suk Hee of Korea and Courtney Sarault of Canada, on her path to the A final. During the final, Suzanne Schulting took the lead with seven laps to go and kept it until the end to win the gold medal. Kim Ji Yoo of Korea and Zhang Chutong of China finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Schulting won every 1000m she participated in this season.

In the men's 1000m, the skaters were aggressive from the start, which caused the fall of Charles Hamelin after two laps. Shaolin Sandor Liu of Hungary took the lead, but almost fell with two laps to go, which sent him to 4th place. Park Ji Won of Korea then took the opportunity to pass from 4th place to 1st by passing Vladislav Bykanov of Israel and Sebastien Lepape from France, who finished 2nd and 3rd.


A lot of action in the relay events

In the mixed relay, we had a good fight between Korea and Russia until the finish line. The Koreans thought they had the win, but they were penalized for an action against the Russians at the end of the last corner. Hungary finished 2nd and Great Britain 3rd.

In the A final of the women's relay, the Dutch led a good part of the race. The Russians took the lead with six laps to go with a superb passing by Emina Malagich. The Dutch fell in the next lap and the Canadians were penalized on this action for pushing with the arm. The Koreans finally overtook Russia in the last corner to take the lead, but they were also penalized for "Blocking by infield skater" on Canada with 3 ½ laps to go. The Russians finished first followed by the Dutch. Only a gold and silver medal were awarded in this final.

In the B final, there was a lot of action! The French fell after only four laps to finally get back on with fifteen laps to go. With six laps to go, a fall by a Polish skater was caused by a French skater, who was penalized on the sequence based on the "Blocking by infield skater" rule. The Kazakh finished first followed by the Americans. Poland finished third.

In the men's relay, Canada controlled practically the entire race. They definitely had a different strategy than the other teams. With thirty-one laps to go, we were able to witness a shift in the exchanges. The Hungarians fell with sixteen laps to go. Later in the race, the Chinese tried to overtake the Canadians, without success, which led to a mess during the exchange in the next corner. China was penalized on this action for "Lane changes during exchange causing contact / obstruction". This allowed the Japanese to come back in the race and take second place behind Canada. Hungary finished third.

The B final was rather calm. Italy took the lead in the last corner over France to slip away with the win. France finished second, Kazakhstan third and the Netherlands fourth. All points are important with only one World cup to go in order to qualify their team for the World Championships.

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Dresden Day 2: Korea and Canada on top / Mascitto on the podium

This weekend, the EnergieVerbund arena in Dresden, Germany is the theater of the fourth leg of the World cup circuit in short track speed skating, and the best actors in the sport offered us a great show on Day 2.

By Carl Savard

Photo by Schaats Foto’s

After a rollercoaster day filled with unfortunate events on Friday, the athletes were battling for glory on 1000m and 1500m today. Some of the teams also had to fight for a spot to compete in the relay finals tomorrow.

1500m: Kim Ji You and Kim Gun Woo win gold

In one of the most exciting 1500m final this season on the women’s side, Kim Ji You from Korea won the gold medal finishing ahead of Canada’s Kim Boutin (silver) and the Netherlands’ Suzanne Schulting. Reigning world champion on the distance, Korea’s Choi Min Jeong, finished 5th but was all smile to see her teammate climb on the highest step of the podium today.

The main final on the men’s side was just as exciting. Frenchman Thibaut Fauconnet, Japan’s Keita Watanabe, 2018 world champion Charles Hamelin and his Canadian teammate Steven Dubois, Italy’s Yuri Confortola and Korea’s Kim Gun Woo and Lim Hyo Jun had to fight to see who would be the three lead actors and who would be the supporting ones. At the end of a hard fought race both Koreans tried to pass Hamelin at the same time, one on the outside and one on the inside, but the Canadian veteran was able to to resist to one of the attacks finishing in second place behind Kim. Lim finishes in third place. After a great race in his semifinal, Canada’s Steven Dubois finished fourth.

1000m (1): A well deserved podium for Mascitto

After a flawless performance in the semifinals on 1000m, Italy’s Cynthia Mascitto fought hard to climb on the podium and get the bronze today in Dresden. Mascitto who grew up in Canada and performed well at every stage of her career before crossing the ocean to continue her path with the Italian team, seemed at ease on the ice today. A good news considering the injuries that bothered her last season. Russia’s Sofia Prosvirnova won the gold medal while Korea’s Choi Ji Yun got the bronze. Canada’s Alyson Charles finished fourth.

Charle Cournoyer from Canada had to fight Hungary’s Liu Shaolin Sandor and Korea’s Hwang Dae Heon, Hong Kyung Hwan and Park Ji Won in an effort to offer Canada its third medal today. The 27-year-old athlete from Boucherville, Canada answered with a performance good enough to win silver finishing between Hwang Dae Heon (gold) and Hong Kyung Hwan (bronze).

Relay: Great Britain in the A final for the first time in mixed relay

When it was announced that the ISU was adding the mixed relay event to its program, Great Britain’s Elise Christie shared with us that she was hoping her country would be able to have a team to participate in the event. It’s with huge smiles that the British team will get on the ice tomorrow in the A final of the event. Korea, Russia and Hungary will try to prevent them from getting on the podium. In the women’s 3000m relay final, Canada, Russia, Korea and Hungary will battle it out. The men’s 5000m relay event will for sure be exciting as Canada, China, Japan and Hungary will be on the starting line next to each other. Hungary will be without Liu Shaoang who badly injured his hand yesterday.

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