On Friday, Claudia Gagnon was very close to getting on the first individual podium of her career on the international scene after finishing fourth in the women’s 1500m event at the Four Continents Short Track Speed Skating Championships, held in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was only a postponement as the athlete reached his goal 24 hours later.
It was in the 1000m event where the 23-year-old stood out. After easily winning her wave of semi-finals, Gagnon was filled with confidence for the big final. The race was fiercely contested and the Quebecer finally crossed the finish line in fourth place. Gagnon, however, was able to rejoice when he learned of the disqualification of South Korean skater Suk Hee Shim, which allowed him to climb a rank and finally taste the podium.
“I’m so happy to have participated in the Four Continents Championships and to have also won a medal. If I’m more picky, I would have liked to cross the finish line third, but disqualifications are part of the sport and I’m not going to spit on the medal,” said Gagnon in an interview with Sportcom.
“I had a very good race and in the end, I managed to finish in the top-3. I would have been a little disappointed with another fourth place, but when it all turned into a bronze medal, I was extremely happy. It ended really well the weekend, ”she added.
New Brunswick’s Courtney Sarault was crowned champion over the distance while China’s Li Gong finished second.
The athlete from La Baie continued her momentum in the women’s relay where she won the silver medal with her teammates Ann-Sophie Bachand, Renee Steenge and Courtney Sarault. The South Koreans won gold while the Americans took third place on the podium.
“It’s really good to come back to Montreal with two medals. It was a great weekend for the relay. We applied new strategies, so it was a little stressful, but everything went really well. Obviously, we were going for first place, but we are very satisfied with the silver medal,” mentioned Claudia Gagnon.
Sarault was also one of the stars of the weekend for the Canadian team. In addition to his gold medal in the 1000m and silver in the relay, the 22-year-old athlete added a gold medal in the 1500m and a bronze in the mixed relay with Steven Dubois, Maxime Laoun and Lea Tessier.
“Courtney is a pillar for our team. She is aggressive and she always gives everything she has! She’s in top form and it showed over the weekend. I’m happy to have been able to share the podium with her in the relay, but also in the 1000m. It’s inspiring to see her go,” admitted Gagnon.
For her part, Ann-Sophie Bachand finished seventh in the 1500m in addition to taking 18e place of the 500m. Léa Tessier reached the 13e rung over the same distance.
The next step for Claudia Gagnon will now be to transpose the successes experienced at the Four Continents Championships to the World Cup circuit. She is also convinced that a place on an individual podium is within her reach sooner rather than later.
“I want to bring this medal to the World Cups. It would be magical to make a top-3 in the World Cup in the near future. My plan is established, I feel good progress since the stage in Montreal. I’m on a roll and I want to take advantage of it. »
Quebec skaters cover themselves with medals
No less than five individual Canadian medals were won in the men’s races in Salt Lake City over the weekend.
Steven Dubois led the charge for the maple leaf with his gold in the 500m and bronze in the 1500m. In the 500m, he was accompanied on the podium by his compatriot Pascal Dion who won the bronze. Also from this final, Maxime Laoun was penalized.
Two Quebecers also fought their way onto the podium in the 1000m, as Dion and William Dandjinou respectively collected the silver and bronze medals. Steven Dubois finished fifth. The gold medal was won by Ji Won Park of South Korea.
In the B final in the 1500m, Philippe Daudelin placed fourth while Pascal Dion took seventh place.
Finally, in the men’s relay, the Canadians reached the A final where they were however penalized. William Dandjinou, Pascal Dion, Steven Dubois and Maxime Laoun were the Canadian torchbearers.
The Canadian skaters are already back in Montreal where they will quietly resume training over the next few days to prepare for the next stop on the World Cup circuit to be held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on December 10-11. .