MONTREAL, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Steven Dubois continued his Milan-Cortina momentum to win the men's 500m gold at the 2026 ISU Short Track World Championships on Saturday, while South Korea's Kim Gil-li claimed the women's 1,000m title.
Fresh off his Winter Olympic triumph, Dubois cruised to his second successive World Championship gold on home ice, crossing the line in 40.153 seconds ahead of Jens Van 't Wout of the Netherlands. Furkan Akar of Türkiye took bronze.
"I got the Games (gold), and it was a big high for me, and then I came a little bit back down to earth," Dubois told the ISU. "I got sick two times in a row coming back from the Games. But I got here today, the crowd was super-hyped, and I guess I really got my title this year of fastest man in the world."
In the men's 1,500m final, Rim Jong-un of South Korea surged from fifth to first in the final half-lap to clinch his first world title, after home favorite and ISU World Tour No.1 William Dandjinou crashed with three laps to go.
The women's 1,000m final saw Kim edge out Dutch skater Xandra Velzeboer, gold medalist in the distance at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, on the final corner to clinch victory.
"The ice in Montreal suits me well, so I felt more confident and was able to race more boldly," said Kim.
In the women's 3,000m relay final, China, represented by Wang Ye, Gong Li, Zhang Chutong, and Wang Xiran, advanced alongside the Netherlands, Italy, and Canada. China overtook Canada with one lap remaining to finish third. The Netherlands claimed the title in 4:10.519, with Italy taking silver.
Elsewhere, the Chinese men's team finished second in its 5,000m relay semifinal, securing a spot in the final alongside Italy, Canada, and South Korea. In the mixed team relay semifinal, however, China was disqualified for a penalty.
Sunday marks the final day of competition, with five gold medals up for grabs in the men's 1,000m, women's 500m, women's 1,500m, and the men's and mixed team relays. ■
