This kind of passing rarely works in short track speed skating. Inside, in the last turn, with a slit to project the blade onto the line.
Pascal Dion tried it in the 1000m final at the Beijing World Cup on Sunday. He had nothing to lose. At the time, he felt he had beaten the Japanese Kazuki Yoshinaga. But had he managed to do it before the line?
Even with a photo witness, the officials took several minutes to decide. A thousandth separated the two contenders for third place …
Ultimately, Dion was declared the bronze medal winner. “The wait was a little stressful, but I was so happy with the way I ran that day. Regardless of the outcome, I was really proud of myself. ”
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Pascal Dion (left) narrowly edged Japan’s Kazuki Yoshinaga in the 1000m final at the Beijing World Cup on Sunday.
Still, this thousandth changed everything. The athlete from Pointe-aux-Trembles, east of Montreal, had not been on an individual World Cup podium for nearly five years. The last – and only time – he won silver in the 1000m at Gangneung, South Korea, the test competition for the PyeongChang Olympics, where he won bronze in the relay.
“I really surprised myself,” admitted Dion, joined Tuesday in Nagoya, where the next stage of the World Cup will take place, from Thursday to Sunday.
PHOTO MARK SCHIEFELBEIN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Quebecer Pascal Dion, behind Hungarian Shaolin Sandor Liu in the wave of the 1000m quarter-finals last weekend at the World Cup in Beijing, China
His satisfaction is all the greater as the competition format is different in this Olympic season. Unlike in previous years, skaters can line up in more than one individual event per day, which doubles the usual competition over each distance.
All the skaters who are going to be at the Games were there. It really gave me confidence. I will continue to work in this direction to improve myself and still have performances like this.
Pascal Dion
Dion had not performed on the international stage since the Dordrecht World Cup in February 2020, just before the start of the pandemic. Last year he was aiming for participation in the World Championships held in the same city in the Netherlands, but he was not selected by the coaches. “A blow” that the 27-year-old skater attributes to a COVID-19 infection which had made him miss three weeks of training.
“I was hopeful to go, maybe even do the individual distances [privilège réservé aux trois meilleurs]. It would have been the only competition of the year and I couldn’t do it. It was difficult on the motivation. I picked up a bit. ”
He “changed his mind” by cycling with his girlfriend, playing tennis and surfing the wake at his chalet in Saint-Michel-des-Saints. He also continued his studies in finance at Concordia University.
Since his return to training, he has kept the same recipe.
I think that’s one of the differences this year. I try to have a more balanced life, to spend a little less time in the arena, to do other activities. School is one of the things that helps me a lot. […] It’s fun to meet people who are doing other things. I come back to the arena and my whole head is there.
Pascal Dion
On the ice, he benefited from the teachings – and the insistence! – Marc Gagnon, new assistant coach of the national team, whom he had known well at the development center of the CRCE. The five-time Olympic medalist simply challenged the one who took pride in being rock solid in the relay.
“He challenged me a lot in training, to pass when my legs hurt. When we are in pain, we often back down, we try to protect ourselves. Marc managed to push me in situations where, normally, I would not have exceeded myself. He made me realize that I can do more. ”
This conviction was manifested in the final of the 1000m, where the Quebecer multiplied the exchanges in the lead with the Japanese Yoshinaga. And Dion had the last word.
Bad luck in the 1500m
A bronze medalist in the 1,000m, Dion did not have the same success in the 1,500m, where he was penalized in the quarterfinals for contact with his teammate Steven Dubois, who was promoted to the semi-finals. Dion did not understand this disqualification for this rather benign contact. ” Same [Steven] was surprised to be advanced. […] I think I hooked the front of his blade. I didn’t even realize it during the race. The ref just misinterpreted what I was doing. Dion would have liked to have the opportunity to express himself in the 1500m as well. “In the 1000m I was shooting a lot of laps and I felt I had really good legs. It would have been interesting to see what I could have done in the 1500m. The official would have even “apologized a little” to the Canadian coaches. You wouldn’t see that in the NHL.
Anti-COVID-19 measures: nothing dramatic
Apparently very strict in China, the measures to control the COVID-19 epidemic did not bother Dion too much. “It was better than I thought. We are restricted at the hotel, but we could see our teammates, play games a bit. We had brought lots of equipment to make coffee. We take care. With two training sessions a day, including one at the arena, our day is very busy. However, the competition took place without spectators, which theoretically will not be the case during the Olympics. Dion was keen to note that the quality of the food was significantly higher compared to his previous trips to China. “We were pleasantly surprised! We really have a lot more choices than usual. ”