Canada’s short track speed skating team ended their ISU World Tour season with a historic achievement in Milan, Italy, securing the inaugural Team Crystal Globe and multiple individual accolades. The competition, which serves as a major indicator for Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics, saw Canada emerge as the dominant force, winning medals across several categories.
Dandjinou Caps Stellar Season with 1,000m Gold
Montreal’s William Dandjinou, 23, delivered yet another stunning performance, capturing gold in the men’s 1,000 metres with a time of 1:23.025. The Canadian skater outpaced Italian favorite Pietro Sighel (1:23.119) and South Korea’s Jang Sung-woo (1:23.220) to claim his eighth individual victory of the season.
This victory further cemented Dandjinou’s dominance on the World Tour. On Saturday, he made history by becoming the first Canadian to win the overall Crystal Globe, finishing first in the season’s 1,000m and 1,500m standings and securing second in the 500m. His final season tally stands at ten medals (eight gold, two silver), making him one of the most successful Canadian short track skaters.
Reflecting on his achievement, Dandjinou expressed pride in his journey:
“The last two weeks have been difficult with the yellow cards and some overall fatigue, so being able to conclude the World Tour with a gold is amazing,” he said. “Short track is a beautiful sport. You can go up fast and you can go down fast, so you’ve got to enjoy the moments. I wouldn’t have predicted that I would win the Crystal Globe at all, but with our team, I knew it was possible.”
Canada Wins Inaugural Team Crystal Globe
The Canadian Ice Maples were awarded the first-ever Team Crystal Globe, a title based on collective performances throughout the season. With 8,731 points, Canada outscored the Netherlands by 1,812 points, showcasing their consistency across all events.
Throughout the six Tour stops, Canada amassed a record-breaking 37 medals, including 21 gold, solidifying their position as one of the world’s top short track programs.
Canadian skater Danaé Blais expressed the team’s excitement over this achievement:
“It’s really incredible to have won the first-ever team Crystal Globe! It was our goal since the beginning of the season and each of us contributed to achieving it. I think it reflects well on the quality of our training program and the depth of our team.”
Silver Success in Men’s and Mixed Relay
In addition to individual triumphs, Canada’s relay teams also delivered strong performances on the final day of competition:
- Men’s 5,000m Relay: Canada’s team of Dandjinou, Jordan Pierre-Gilles, Félix Roussel, and Maxime Laoun secured silver, finishing in 6:42.878, just 0.06 seconds behind host nation Italy. Kazakhstan took bronze (6:46.068).
- Mixed 2,000m Relay: Canada initially secured bronze but was upgraded to silver after Italy was penalized for an illegal lane change. The Canadian team of Pierre-Gilles, Blais, Florence Brunelle, and Roussel finished in 2:38.187, trailing the Netherlands (2:38.005) while Japan moved up to bronze (2:38.339).
Speaking about the relay performance, Blais highlighted the team’s growth and development:
“It was a pretty intense final with a lot of action, but we managed to do our job, and it’s nice to end the season on the podium. We finished second in the overall standings, which is a really great improvement for us after all the hard work we’ve put in together, guys and girls.”