Steven Dubois had a pretty busy Saturday at the Maurice-Richard Arena, but that didn’t stop him from winning the only Canadian medal of the day when he took silver in the first 1000m of the weekend.
The three-time Olympic Games medalist in Beijing had to complete the repechage race in order to continue his career. Coming into the final, he engaged in a fierce battle with his opponents in a race in which he overtook from the outside with just over three laps to go and reclaimed second place. However, South Korea’s Park Ji Won skillfully closed the door on him to secure his victory.
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“It was a really long day and I really had to talk to myself between each race and reactivate myself after the long breaks,” commented Steven Dubois on Radio-Canada. “I knew the runners in the final and knew how I should complete my race. I executed (my tactics) really well. When I got to the ice, I said to myself, “I’m home, and after coming all the way here, there’s no way I’m going home empty-handed!” »
Before reaching the 1000 m final, Dubois fought hard against teammate William Dandjinou in a very tough semi-final, which Dubois won. In third place, Dandjinou was not fast enough to make the time for the A final and finished sixth after winning the B final.
For his part, Félix Roussel of Sherbrooke was a finalist in the 1500 m. His race ended abruptly when he crashed out of a corner with four laps to go as he prepared to take control of the race. He finished seventh.
In the women’s event, Danaé Blais was the only Quebecer to secure a place in the A final of the 1500 m, where she finished in sixth place. Her teammate Claudia Gagnon took eighth place in the final distance ranking after winning the B final.
The women’s and men’s relay teams performed flawlessly in their respective semifinals.
Danaé Blais, Florence Brunelle, Courtney Sarrault and Renee Marie Steenge secured the country a place in Sunday’s 3000m grand final, as did Steven Dubois, Willam Dandjinou, Pascal Dion and Jordan Pierre-Gilles in the 5000m.
More Quebec results of the day
4- (semi-finals), 2000 m mixed relay: Danaé Blais, Steven Dubois, Félix Roussel and Renee Marie Steenge
7- Florence Brunelle, 1000 m
10- Maxime Laoun, 1500 m
12- Pascal Dion, 1000 m
33- Jordan Pierre-Gilles, 1500m