Canada’s Dandjinou comes up short in 1,500

MILAN – Canadian short-track star William Dandjinou arrived at the Milan Cortina Olympics as the world’s top-ranked skater and a favourite for multiple gold medals.

Two events into his individual program, he is still searching for a podium finish.

The 24-year-old Montreal native finished fifth Saturday in a chaotic men’s 1,500-metre final marked by heavy contact and constant position changes.

The Netherlands’ Jens van ‘t Wout won gold after also triumphing in the 1,000 two days earlier. South Korea’s Hwang Daeheon took silver, while Latvia’s Roberts Kruzbergs completed the podium.

Dandjinou was in medal position late, skating second with two laps remaining, but bumped with South Korea’s Shin Dong Min as the field tightened. The contact stalled his momentum, and he was shuffled back to fifth at the finish.

“The race was going great. I think you saw it.– I got bumped out. Tried to come back, kind of managed to, but my legs were cooked by then. Not much I could do,” Dandjinou said.

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Van ‘t Wout’s Olympic breakout — the kind many believed Dandjinou himself was poised for — was no surprise to the Canadian, given a rivalry that stretches back to their youth.

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“It’s amazing. I feel like short track is the most beautiful sport in the world. It’s just very cool to see how much we’ve grown,” he said. “I’ve been racing Jens since we were juniors. It’s an honour to see him perform that well. I hope I can join him somehow.”

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Dandjinou did not qualify for Beijing four years ago but has since become the sport’s dominant force on the ISU World Tour and was viewed as a contender in all three individual distances in Milan.

He narrowly missed a medal in the 1,000 earlier in the week, leading into the final lap before being passed and finishing fourth.

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Still, Dandjinou expressed confidence about what the rest of the Games could hold.

“You’ll see, man. I can’t spoil too much, but I promise you something. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not today, but one day I will be Olympic champion,” he said.

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Steven Dubois of Terrebonne, Que., also qualified for the final but fell early in the race and was never a factor. The silver medallist from the 2022 Games finished sixth.

“It’s tough falling so early in the race. I wanted to do better, but I guess we’ll have to wait for the 500 for that,” said Duboise

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Dandjinou, part of Canada’s mixed relay silver-medal team, will have another chance at an individual podium in the 500, with preliminary heats set for Monday and the final scheduled for Wednesday.

He is also expected to compete in the men’s 5,000 relay, with semifinals on Monday.

Canada’s women posted stronger results earlier Saturday at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.

Moncton’s Courtney Sarault, Kim Boutin, of Sherbrooke, Que., and Florence Brunelle, of Trois-Rivières, Que., advanced through the 1,000 preliminaries to reach the quarterfinals.

Sarault, Boutin, Brunelle and Danaé Blais, of Châteauguay, Que., then qualified Canada for the 3,000 relay final.  Sarault passed a Chinese skater on the final lap to secure the spot, while South Korea won the semifinal heat.

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“I had a little extra energy because I wanted to do it for the girls, too, and we worked so hard for this,” said Sarault, a double medallist already with silver in mixed relay and bronze in the women’s 500.

“It was a team effort, and I’m really proud of us.”

The women’s 1,000 final is set for Monday, with the relay final scheduled for Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 14, 2026.