All skaters were in the same field with four laps to go in the 2,000-meter mixed relay at the Montreal Short Track Speed Skating World Cup. It was when Courtney Sarault gave Félix Roussel the push that everything changed.
Posted at 6:04 p.m.
Updated at 7:29 p.m.
“Go get her! shouted the skater to her teammate. This bronze medal, they will have finally obtained it thanks to a desperate lengthening of the leg of Mathieu Pelletier, while stumbling at the finish line.
“There was no question of not winning a medal,” said Sarault at the end of the day. Earlier, the 22-year-old athlete had to settle for the B final in the 1,500 meters, his favorite distance.
I just wanted him to skate as fast as possible. I was really engaged and focused at that moment. I said whatever came into my head. I think that gave him extra motivation.
Courtney Sarault
Roussel confirms this: “It really calmed me down in my last laps. I was able to give a good relay to Mathieu. »
This young team impressed during this race. With Korea, the Netherlands, Belgium and Japan also in the final, nothing was a foregone conclusion. Even the Canadians had the status of underdogs.
“There is also a pride in having done it together. Between recruits, it was nice to do this together. We were under the same stress. I was nervous in my corner, I didn’t want to let Mathieu see it too much, but I also saw his little nervousness on his side, ”noted Roussel.
Roussel, 21, and Pelletier, 16, are in their first World Cup experience. With the other member of the quartet, Rikki Doak, 24, they were able to benefit from the experience of Sarault. Despite her 22 years, the Olympian already has an impressive background.
“It’s great to be able to meet someone like her. She brings us together,” Doak said of her fellow New Brunswicker.
Moreover, Claudia Gagnon, Pascal Dion and Steven Dubois also received a medal since they had skated during the quarter-finals.
Pelletier believes that the contribution of veterans at the start of the season is a valuable asset for their development. “We get along really well with the veterans, we’re really close, we help each other. We have really good chemistry. »
Steven Dubois: in extremis
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Steven Dubois was overtaken by South Korean Park Ji-won.
Steven Dubois left Beijing with three Olympic medals last winter. He wanted to get back on the podium in front of his family at the start of the season.
He succeeded, while spoiling the fans gathered at the Maurice-Richard arena with an exhilarating final.
Dubois was in last place halfway through the 1,500-metre final. He therefore moved up from seventh position to the leading group in just a few laps.
In the last corner, he managed to generate a lot of speed to come back for the Korean Hong Kyung-hwan.
The two were neck and neck and appeared to cross the finish line at the same time for the silver medal. Except that Dubois looked confident despite the small gap.
“I told Jordan [Pierre-Gilles] : “I think I have it.” »
The officials waited a moment before rendering their decision. Meanwhile, Dubois and Hong stood side by side congratulating each other. Looking at the giant screen, the verdict was given thanks to the photo finish. Dubois had outstripped his opponent by a thousandth of a second.
“There’s not much I could have done better. I have nothing to say, it’s a very nice day, I’m very happy with what happened, ”said Dubois, still looking a little in shock.
Pierre-Gilles narrowly misses
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Jordan Pierre-Gilles
On the other hand, his teammate Jordan Pierre-Gilles was not so lucky. In search of his first individual medal in the World Cup, the Sherbrooke native missed the podium by just under three tenths in the 1000 meters.
“I am able to be lucid in all that. I couldn’t pass any closer,” he explained afterwards.
He admits he blamed himself and was angry after the race, but he knows that the season is still young: “I watch the video and there are things I could have done better to put myself in a better position to win. There are still plenty of other competitions to apply these things. I am optimistic and looking forward. »
At the end of the day, Pierre-Gilles, Dubois and their teammates Pascal Dion and Maxime Laoun qualified Canada for the A final of the men’s 5000 meters relay, which will take place this Sunday.