Dandjinou strikes gold at World Cup short track speedskating stop in Montreal
By The Canadian Press on October 28, 2023.
MONTREAL – After winning his first individual medal in the 1,000 metres last week at the Maurice Richard Arena, William Dandjinou struck gold Saturday in the 1,500 in Montreal’s second ISU World Cup short-track speedskating event in as many weeks. The Montreal native jumped out to a quick lead and was never caught, finishing in two minutes 21.78 seconds to claim his first World Cup victory. South Korea’s Daeheon Hwang claimed silver in a time of 2:21.809 while teammate Gun Woo Kim took bronze in 2:21.918. Dandjinou qualified for the final round with a late pass in the semifinals against his teammate Pascal Dion, who was relegated to the B final where he finished fifth. He won the bronze medal last weekend in the 1,000. Also Saturday, Danaé Blais, of Châteauguay, Que., won the bronze medal in the women’s 1,500 final with a time of two minutes 34.951 seconds. South Korea’s Gilli Kim finished first in 2:34.558 while American Kristen Santos-Griswold took home silver in a time of 2:34.829. Canadians Blais, Courtney Sarault, and Claudia Gagnon crossed the finish line in fourth, fifth, and sixth places before officials awarded penalties. Belgian skater Hanne Desmet, who had initially won the race, received a yellow card and slipped to last place. Canadian skaters Rikki Doak, Steven Dubois, and Jordan Pierre-Gilles were set to compete in the A final of the men’s 500 later Saturday afternoon. The event continues Sunday. The Four Continents Championship will follow next week at Place Bell in Laval, Que. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2023. 12-11
