MONTREAL, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- The ISU Short Track Speed Skating World Tour Montreal leg ended on Sunday, with Canadian skaters emerging as the biggest winners by claiming three out of five gold medals on the final competition day.
Local hero William Dandjinou, who won the 1,500m on Saturday and took silver in the 500m, added a 1,000m gold in 1:24.863 before joining his teammates at the top of the podium in both the men's 5000m relay and the mixed team relay.
"I'm giving myself a 10 out of 10 this weekend," Dandjinou said. "Even that silver felt like gold. With Steven winning, it was almost perfect. But maybe I should say nine and a half, because there has to be room for improvement."
The men's 500m gold was claimed by his teammate Steven Dubois. Jang Sung-woo of South Korea took silver, and Jordan Pierre-Gilles of Canada finished third.
Dandjinou and Pierre-Gilles then combined to help Canada win the men's 5,000m relay, ahead of South Korea and Italy. The host team also took gold in the mixed relay, finishing ahead of the Netherlands and Japan.
The Chinese short track team made the final B of both the men's relay and the mixed relay, finishing second in both events. The bronze medal in the women's 3000m relay on Saturday was China's only medal in the Montreal leg.
In the women's 500m, Xandra Velzeboer of the Netherlands fought off a challenge from South Korean skaters Choi Minjeong and Kim Gilli to cross the line first in 42.087 seconds, with Choi and Kim taking silver and bronze, respectively.
"My start has really improved this year. It's really consistent and that gives me a lot of confidence at the line," Velzeboer said. "You feel all these people next to you, but when I get to the first corner I think 'now let's go, now it is showtime.' I'm so happy, but really tired."
Belgium also bagged a gold medal as Hanne Desmet overtook Kim Gilli to win her first gold on the Short Track World Tour in the women's 1500m with a time of 2:27.149. In the fierce race, Choi collided with Kristen Santos-Griswold of the United States, and both were injured. Kim ended up with silver, while Choi finished last. Corinne Stoddard of the United States slid past the casualties to collect bronze.
The World Tour will move east as the Asian legs take place in Beijing, China from Dec. 6 to 8, and Seoul, South Korea from Dec. 13 to 15. ■
