In this race contested by 10 athletes, the native of Terrebonne managed to fight his way from the last to the 2nd echelon in just one lap. He defended this position well afterwards.
The officials had to consult the finish photo to confirm his position since Semen Elistratov, from the ROC, finished just behind, with a slight delay of 13 hundredths of a second.
« As soon as I crossed the line, I knew I had it. »
m have been pretty amazing all year. I was mainly basing my hopes on the 500and 5000M. I knew I could do beautiful things at 1500m, but I entered the line with a lot of doubts when I saw the three Koreans and the two Hungarian brothers [partir] in first […] I don’t understand yet! I think I will realize it tonight or tomorrow on the podium”,”text”:”I don’t know if I had imagined that one. My 1500m has been pretty amazing all year. I was mainly basing my hopes on the 500 and 5000m. I knew I could do great things in the 1500m, but I entered the line with a lot of doubts when I saw the three Koreans and the two Hungarian brothers [partir] in first […] I don’t understand yet! I think I will achieve it tonight or tomorrow on the podium”}}”>I don’t know if I had imagined that one. My 1500m has been pretty amazing all year. I was mainly basing my hopes on the 500 and 5000 m. I knew I could do great things in the 1500 m, but I entered the line with a lot of doubts when I saw the three Koreans and the two Hungarian brothers [partir] in first […] I don’t understand yet! I think I will achieve it tonight or tomorrow on the podium
, he said.
Dubois had finished in 6th place in his semi-final heat, but a penalty to the Dutchman Sjinkie Knegt allowed him to be advanced by the judges to the grand final.
In the quarterfinals, the Quebecer was quickly relegated to the last echelon due to a slight contact with another skater. Then, he managed his race with caution and gradually moved up the peloton to take 3rd place in the last corner.
Hamelin and Dion stopped in semi-finals
Five-time Olympic medalist Charles Hamelin, meanwhile, was penalized during his semifinal heat. The judges established that he was the cause of a contact during an overtaking. This ended his medal hopes at the event where he is the reigning world champion.
I tried to be a little aggressive. I wanted to overtake because I liked being closer to the front better than in the middle of the pack with the guys that were in my race. In my overtaking, the Briton really squeezed me on the curve from the back, which made me lose my balance. I got back into Italian. I knew my chances of being disqualified were there. I was hoping for the best, but I was penalized
, said the 37-year-old skater.
Charles Hamelin misses 1500m final
Photograph: Getty Images / Matthew Stockman
It was in this way that the Olympic career of the Sainte-Julie locomotive in the individual events came to an end.
With a lot of emotions, Hamelin, who is in his fifth and last Winter Games, wanted to thank his family to whom he was able to talk before his race and whom he knew to listen.
« If I’m here, it’s largely because of them. »
Hamelin had started his day on the 1st row of his wave, marked by a fall of the Kazakh Denis Nikisha and the Dutchman Itzhak de Laat, at the time when the Quebecer was making an overtake with seven laps to go.
The third Canadian competing in this event, Pascal Dion was eliminated after a difficult race in the semi-finals during which he was the victim of a collision.
The little touch still hurt my legs. I thought that by closing the door, the Hungarian would have stayed behind me, but eventually there was a little contact. In the quarterfinals, it was extremely fast, so I would say that I missed a little bit of legs at the end to finish strong
, the skater explained.
He had just reached the penultimate stage thanks to his 2nd place in the quarterfinals. The 27-year-old Montrealer temporarily took control of his wave, before being overtaken by Shaolin Sandor Liu. The Hungarian set an Olympic record with a time of 2:9:213/1000.
Sarault and Charles advance in the 1000 m, disappointment for Boutin
Short track speed skaters were also in action in the 1000 m qualifying.
Pyeongchang Games silver medalist Kim Boutin, who was heading for an easy victory in her wave, fell on the very last corner, a few meters from the finish. This heartbreaking fall thus deprives her of a place in the quarterfinals.
Kim Boutin falls and does not qualify for the 1000 m
Photograph: Getty Images / Dean Mouhtaropoulos
For her part, Courtney Sarault was in control throughout her race. The Moncton skater finished 1st in her group to confirm her qualification for the next round.
Courtney Sarault
Photograph: Associated Press / Natacha Pisarenko
Alyson Charles, meanwhile, played lucky. Third at the finish line, the Montrealer was able to reach the quarterfinals, which will be held on Friday. The judges penalized the Frenchwoman Tifany Huot Marchand because of a collision during an overtaking.
French Tifany Huot Marchand outside the turn
Photograph: Getty Images / Justin Setterfield
At work in the second wave, reigning Olympic and world distance champion Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands set a new Winter Games mark with a time of 1:27.292/1000.
Heading to the final for the women’s relay
In addition, the representatives of the unifolié qualified for the final of the 3000 m relay. They dominated their semi-final.
We had a plan that we practiced in training, and we had a little meeting this morning just to refresh ourselves and remember all our points. We were all on the same page
, Sarault said.
Courtney Sarault, Kim Boutin, Alyson Charles and Florence Brunelle
Photograph: Associated Press / David J. Phillip
The Canadians led the race from start to finish, with the exception of a few seconds when the South Koreans managed an overtaking move. Florence Brunelle, however, played boldly to take over the controls.
The young Trifluvian thus showed her strength of character after being disqualified in the mixed relay and in qualifying for the 500 m. She mentioned that she had learned from her mistakes in recent days.
The important thing for me was really not to stay on it, not to stop trusting myself and not to do anything in the race for fear of making a mistake again. I think it seemed today that mentally I was ready for this because I dared to overtake the girl right after and finish the race ahead.
The final will be held on February 13 at 6:35 am (EST).