(Quebec) After an unusual start to the day in the 1,500 metres, Kim Boutin restored her status as the leader of the Canadian team by convincingly winning the 500m at the Canadian Short Track Speed Skating Championships, which opened Friday in Quebec.
Posted at 6:01 p.m.
Relegated to second place after a late overtake by Rikki Doak, Boutin regained the lead by daring an inside overtake at the entrance to the last corner.
“Honestly, I’m happy to have tried an overtaking, it’s rare that I do in the 500 meters”, noted the quadruple Olympic medalist.
The maneuver by Doak, of Fredericton, reminded Boutin of similar tactics by Italian Arianna Fontana and Dutch Suzanne Schulting, two of her main rivals on the international stage.
It was a great representation of how I can prepare for my overtaking afterwards. I don’t do much in the 500 meters, it’s still one of my pet peeves. It’s fun because I was able to work on it and it still ended well.
Kim Boutin
The 1500m final, held in the morning at the Intact Assurance Ice Center, was less fortunate for the Quebecer. Stuck at the back of the field, she could not do better than to climb up to fifth place in this race won by Ontario’s Renee Steenge, who is not yet part of the national team.
Boutin recalled that like her teammates, she approached this first competition without being rested.
“Working in traffic for me is still a challenge. With fatigue, I can’t necessarily rely on my strength to overtake. I should have played a little more forward. This is what we risk seeing in the next races for me. »
This unusual result whipped the one who has already dominated these Canadian championships from start to finish.
I’ve always had fire in my eyes and I entered this race wanting to work on my weaknesses a bit. It’s hard on confidence. I think maybe I’ll aim a little lower and try to work towards the front of the pack and work on my overtaking more aggressively, which is my personality. So I don’t want to completely distort myself at the back.
Kim Boutin
The day before, Boutin had identified his “favorite” to take a place in the Canadian team in this first season of the Olympic cycle where two renowned skaters, Alyson Charles and Florence Brunelle, have chosen to delay their return. Her name: Ann-Sophie Bachand, a fellow citizen of Sherbrooke.
Bachand rose to the challenge by taking third place in the 500m final. The 18-year-old was obviously delighted to share this first senior national podium with the one who is probably an idol.
“Kim, I love her! launched the double medalist at the last Junior Worlds. This is such a great example for me. We come from the same city, we get along really well. »
Bachand remembers going to cheer on Boutin during the 2018 Olympic trials. Two years later, Boutin made her “so welcome” when she joined the national center at the Maurice-Richard arena.
“I look forward to spending more time with her,” Boutin said. There, we don’t all train together all the time. If she ranks in the top-6 where the top 8, it will be interesting because I will be able to spend more time with her. It’s a great moment for the club [de Sherbrooke]. It shows that we are developing and that we have new talent. »
In the 1500m, Danaé Blais won silver behind Doak and ahead of Courtney Sarault, bronze medalist. The Chateauguay skater was pleased to have changed her bodybuilding program to gain mass and power after a disappointment at the Beijing Olympics, where she fell in the quarterfinals.
“It was still a difficult experience,” noted Blais. But I came out of it more motivated than ever. I worked on a lot of points this summer: mental, physical, tactical. I tried to improve everything I could. I certainly expect to perform this weekend. I have the physique and the power to do it. »
On the men’s side, Steven Dubois and Pascal Dion exchanged victories on this first day of competition for the short track. The first in the 500m and the second in the 1500m.
“It solidifies how I wanted to feel,” said Dubois, Canada’s only three-time men’s medalist at the Beijing Olympics. “I’m even surprised at the legs I had today. I’m happy with my second place in the 1500m and really happy to have won too. It takes a lot of stress away from me. I will be able to start trying things out and try to earn even more at the end of the week. »
Heated by Dubois at the end of the 1500m, Dion was pleased to have been able to close the door. In the 500m, he was slowed down by a violent fall from Jordan Pierre-Gilles with a lap and a half to go.
“The legs are there, the performances are there, I had excellent races, summed up the vice world champion. I’m just really proud of the way I raced. It had been a few months since we had had any competitions. It feels good to start like this. It is now a matter of keeping this energy for the next two days. »
Alexandre Migner (1500m) and Antoine Gagnon-Lamarche (500m), two youngsters in their early twenties, caused an upset by winning bronze in their respective event.