Canadian Roundup: Team Canada’s golden weekend
It was a busy weekend for Team Canada athletes, as they topped the podium in speed skating and track cycling.
From World Cup to Grand Prix here’s how they did.
Speed Skating – Short Track
Canada’s short track team competed at their second World Cup event of the season, winning six medals. Marianne St-Gelais led the team with her first gold of the season in the women’s 500m, after finishing second in the 1500m, just ahead of teammate her Marie-Ève Drolet. Canada’s women’s relay team also claimed bronze. On the men’s side Samuel Girard won the men’s 1500m and Charles Hamelin took bronze in the 500m.
Speed Skating – Long Track
World champion Ivanie Blondin opened her long track season with two podium finishes at the first world cup of the season. After winning the 2016 world title, Blondin continued her mass start dominance taking gold on Sunday. This victory came after the Canadian finished second in the 3000m on the opening day of competition.
Snowboarding
Read: McMorris wins big air bronze in Milan
Mark McMorris scored a big air bronze at his first competition since breaking his femur eight months ago. The Olympic bronze medallist’s podium finish came after he successfully landed a backside triple cork 1440 and a switch backside 1260 at the first World Cup event of the season.
Figure Skating
Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier skated to bronze at the Trophée de France, the fourth stop on the ISU Grand Prix circuit. The pair’s performance scored 170.78 points to secure third, for their second ice dance bronze of the season – the first came at Skate Canada International.
Cycling – Track
Men’s team pursuit made history, again. A week after winning Canada’s first-ever World Cup medal in men’s team pursuit, the crew won the event in Apeldoorn.