Canada's Jordan Pierre-Gilles (L) and Latvia's Roberts Kruzbergs (C) compete in the men's 500m quarter-final event at the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating in Beijing on December 9, 2023.JADE GAO/Getty Images
Jordan Pierre-Gilles won gold and William Dandjinou claimed bronze as Canada enjoyed a two-medal day at the short track speedskating World Cup stop in Beijing on Saturday.
Pierre-Gilles, of Sherbrooke, Que., won the men’s 500 metres in a time of 40.711 seconds, beating Quentin Fercoq of France (40.875) and Jens van ’t Wout of the Netherlands (41.280).
The Canadian trailed Liu Shaoang and Lin Xiaoju for most of the race but sailed to the front of the pack after the Chinese skaters collided.
“It was an exciting race today. A lot of people were surprised to see the Chinese skater challenging his teammate, but I kind of saw it coming and even told my coach about it before the race. My strategy was adapted a bit with this in mind. Obviously, their collision made my pass to the front easier and after that it was all but over,” said Pierre-Gilles
Montreal’s Dandjinou finished third in the men’s 1,500 with a time of two minutes 19.179 seconds.
Korea’s Kim Gun Woo won gold (2:18.934), ahead silver medalist Wenlong LI of China (2:19.009)
“I stumbled a bit during a pass and got cut off midstride. Despite all of that, I still managed to win the bronze. I’m proud of myself and I hope I can do even better tomorrow,” said Dandjinou.
A pair of Canadian women also earned top-10 finishes on Saturday. Renée Steenge, of Brampton, Ont., finished fifth in the 1,500, while Florence Brunelle, of Trois-Rivières, Que., was ninth in the 500.
The short track World Cup continues Sunday in Beijing.