Canada's short track star Dandjinou captures 2 gold medals at World Tour event in Montreal
CBC
In front of a hometown crowd, Canada's William Dandjinou showed the short track skating world why he's ready to be a major contender at the 2026 Olympics in Italy.
The 23-year-old Dandjinou captured gold medals in the men's 1,500- and 500-metre competitions at the opening-season World Tour event Saturday in Montreal.
In the 1,500m, Dandjinou, from Sherbrooke, Que., won in a time of two minutes 18.607 seconds at the Maurice-Richard arena.
WATCH | Dandjinou claims gold in 1,500m:
Korea's Park Ji Won took silver 2:18.616, while Dandjinou's teammate, Steven Dubois, claimed bronze in 2:18.679.
Dandjinou capped off a 1-2 finish in the men's 500m, crossing the line in 40.701. Dubois, from Laval, Que., improved his position from the 1,500m, taking silver in 40.797. Lin Xiaojun of China earned bronze in a time of 40.969.
WATCH | Dandjinou, Dubois star on home ice:
Dandjinou is coming off a breakout season, one that saw him win six individual World Cup medals, including three victories in the 1,500m. He capped off the year by winning the world title in the 1,000m.
In the days leading into Saturday's event, Dandjinou revealed his focus for this season and beyond.
"I want to succeed. My goal is to dominate the sport," he told CBC Sports reporter Devin Heroux. "I feel like I'm coming into my golden time in the sport. Short track is not a guarantee. You can fall. There are so many unknowns and a lot of anxiety. The goal is just to stay in the present."
WATCH | Previewing short track season:
