(Laval) Courtney Sarault and Danaé Blais gave Canada a double in the 1,500-meter event on Saturday at the Four Continents Short Track Speed Skating Championships, presented at Place Bell.
Sarault, from Moncton, and Blais, from Châteauguay, took the second and third steps of the podium respectively. The American Kristen Santos-Griswold won in the A final.
Blais won two individual medals last weekend during a stage of the World Cup presented in Montreal, while Sarault remained unsatisfied.
For the men, Steven Dubois, from Lachenaie, won silver over the same distance on Saturday. South Korean Park Jiwon triumphed, while his compatriot Kim Gunwoo took third place.
Montrealer William Dandjinou fell in the final and settled for seventh place.
William Sohier, from Quebec, took first place in the B final. He officially ranked eighth in the event. He is one of four skaters participating in a first international competition at the senior level with Canada this weekend.
Rookie Karina Montminy, from Péribonka, finished last in her heat during the 1500 meter semi-finals and did not qualify for the A or B final.
Cynthia Mascitto, from Laval, was supposed to participate in the 1500 meters, but she was replaced by Montminy since she was not feeling well.
Mascitto, who is 31 years old, is also participating in her first international competition at the senior level in the colors of Canada. She does, however, have six years of experience on the World Cup circuit representing Italy.
The 500-meter individual events and the semi-finals of the women’s 3,000-meter and men’s 5,000-meter relays were also scheduled for Saturday.
At the start of the day, the Canadian quartet composed of Florence Brunelle, Jordan Pierre-Gilles, Sarault and Sohier qualified for the A final of the mixed 2000 meter relay. The final will be presented on Sunday.
The finals of the women’s 3000 meter and men’s 5000 meter relays and the individual 1000 meter events will be presented on Sunday.
The Four Continents Championships bring together athletes from the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.