François Hamelin wins gold, Canada finishes with eight World Cup medals in Nagoya
Feature photo: François Hamelin takes a turn during World Cup competition in Montreal, earlier this season
The Canadian team won five more medals to close out the season’s third ISU World Cup, in Nagoya, Japan with a total haul of eight over two days.
Two-time Olympian François Hamelin won gold in the second 500m, adding to his bronze from Saturday (see below). It was a big day for Hamelin, the race was his first individual World Cup win.
“It was a perfect day. It’s not often that I can say that, but it was the case for all my races today, they were all perfect,” said François Hamelin.
In the 5000m relay, the men’s team of Pascal Dion, Patrick Duffy, Charles Hamelin, Charle Cournoyer, Samuel Girard, and François Hamelin won the bronze medal behind winners the Netherlands, and silver medallists China.
On the women’s side, Marianne St-Gelais won her sixth individual medal of the season – a silver – in the 1000m. The 25-year-old finished between two Koreans, behind Choi Minjeong but ahead of Kim Alang.
Multiple World Junior medallist Audrey Phaneuf won bronze in the second 500m. It is the first individual World Cup medal for the 19-year-old from Saint-Hyacinthe, QC. She was also on the third-place 3000m relay team, along with Valérie Maltais, St-Gelais, Kim Boutin, Namasthée Harris-Gauthier, and Kasandra Bradette. The Korean team won the race, with China second.
Canada has won a total of 24 medals after three ISU World Cups. The next stop is Shanghai, China from December 11th to 13th.
Saturday
Charles Hamelin celebrates winning the 500m in the first-ever Toronto ISU World Cup stop in short track speed skating on November 8, 2015.
Canada made it three short track speed skating medals in the 500-metre races on Saturday in Japan, at the first Asian stop of the ISU World Cup tour this season.
In the men’s race the Hamelin brothers – Charles and Francois – managed first and third place finishes, making the podium together for the first time since the 2008-09 season when they thrilled fans in Vancouver ahead of the Olympic Games in that city.
The older Hamelin, Charles, skated to a time of 41.016 seconds to win gold by one thousandth of a second ahead of South Korean rival Kwak Yoon-Gy (41.017) before younger brother Francois crossed the line in third place.
Marianne St-Gelais races on Saturday, October 31 at the season opening World Cup of 2015 in Montreal.
The third medal in this distance arrived in the women’s race where Marianne St-Gelais took bronze behind Fan Kexin of China and British speedskater Elise Christie. St-Gelais has now won five medals in as many individual races in the 2015-16 season.
Racing continues through Sunday in Nagoya.
