BEIJING 鈥� Canadian Steven Dubois fended off a strong challenge from his Russian rival to battle his way to a silver medal in the men's 1,500-metre short-track speedskating event at the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old Dubois from Terrebonne, Que. claimed second place in a photo-finish over bronze medallist Semion Elistratov.
Hwang Daeheon of South Korea won the gold medal.
Hwang is the world record holder in the 1,000 and won silver in the 500 at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang.
Dubois was the lone Canadian in the 1,500 final after five-time medallist Charles Hamelin, 37, and Pascal Dion, 27, both failed to make it beyond the semifinals.
After his race, Dubois had nothing but praise for the veteran Hamelin, who is skating in his final Olympics and has served as mentor to younger skaters. When he was a young child, Dubois remembered getting his photo taken with Hamelin.
"I have a hard time believing there will be another skater like Charles Hamelin on the national team, at least among the guys," Dubois said. "I don't want to compare myself to Charles because he's a legend. I've very proud of my performances and I know he's also proud."聽
Dubois started skating at the age of 11 or 12, choosing speedskating over hockey because his parents didn't like the atmosphere in hockey rinks.聽
"I'm happy they made that choice," he said. "I don't think I'm Sidney Crosby, but I still have a silver medal at the Games." 聽
Dubois crashed in his semifinal, but advanced to the A final when 2018 silver medallist Sjinkie Kneght of the Netherlands was penalized.
"I have been training for the 500 for the whole year, so the 1,500 is not my distance for sure. But I have been having good results for the past three, four years in this distance.," Dubois said of his silver medal.聽
"I knew that if I was smart in the race, use my legs and don't make bad choices I could be there. That's what I did. I did one pass, I guess two, but one big pass. And that's all what it took to get a medal."
It was a crowded 10-person field, meaning six lined up on the start and the other four were in back.
Dubois began near the back but settled into second and stayed there, battling to hold off Elistratov in the final laps and kicking his blade forward at the finish.
鈥淚 was starting on the back line so I got kind of squeezed at the start,鈥� Dubois said. 鈥淲hen there鈥檚 10 people in a race you can鈥檛 really be in back because there鈥檚 no way you鈥檙e going to come back. I did one big pass and that鈥檚 all it took to get a medal. It was definitely disbelief.鈥�
Hwang won with a time of two minutes and 9.219 seconds. Dubois stopped the clock at 2:09.254, fractions ahead of Elistratov.
Hwang and teammate Lee Juneseo were disqualified in the semifinals of the 1,000 two days earlier. That triggered the South Korean contingent to complain to the International Skating Union and International Olympic Committee about the referee's judgment.
Fans in the short track-mad country flooded the Korean Olympic Committee with phone calls demanding the team leave Beijing.
Hwang downplayed the passionate reaction to the earlier DQs of himself and Lee.
鈥淭he judges' decisions came because I didn鈥檛 have a clean game,鈥� he said through a translator. 鈥淚n today鈥檚 race it was the cleanest race and that was our strategy as well, so that鈥檚 why we could have this great result.鈥�
Hamelin had hoped to add a sixth medal in his final individual Olympic event, but did not advance to the final.
After the race, he spoke to his partner and their daughter, who is almost two.聽
"It's one of the big reasons I'm still here, it's them," Hamelin said.
While it wasn't the race he'd been looking for, Hamelin noted it wasn't the end. He still intends to race in the world championships in Montreal next month, as well as the men's 5,000 relay next week.聽
Canadians Alyson Charles and Courtney Sarault advanced past the first round of the women's 1,000, while fellow skater Kim Boutin was eliminated in heartbreaking fashion.聽
The 27-year-old from Sherbrooke was leading her heat when she slipped and fell only metres from the finish line. Boutin won her fourth medal, a bronze, in the 500 event on Monday.聽
"I'm a little disappointed, I thought I was very strong at that distance," Boutin said after her fall, her voice trembling. 聽
However, Boutin was able to gather herself and help the Canadian team qualify for the finals of the women's 3,000 relay.
She and teammates Charles, Sarault and Florence Brunelle, led the race nearly from start to finish to edge the South Koreans at the finish line.聽
The moment was important for both Boutin, who was able to regroup from her fall, and Brunelle, who fell in the final of the 2,000 mixed relay and was penalized in the quarterfinals of the 500.
"That was my point for that relay; continue to be bold, continue to be intense and not be afraid. Mistakes happen. And that's how I grow as a skater," Brunelle said.聽
The final takes place Sunday.
With files from The Associated Press.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 9, 2022.
Alexis B茅langer-Champagne, The Canadian Press
