Canadian short-track speedskater Steven Dubois captured Olympic gold Wednesday, delivering a dominant performance in the men’s 500 metres at the Milan Cortina Winter Games.
Dubois surged into the lead immediately from the старт and never looked back, controlling the race from beginning to end. The 28-year-old from Terrebonne, Quebec, crossed the finish line in 40.835 seconds, sealing Canada’s latest gold-medal moment on the Olympic stage.
Dutch brothers Melle van ’t Wout and Jens van ’t Wout completed the podium, earning silver and bronze respectively. For Melle van ’t Wout, the result marked a special milestone, as he claimed his first Olympic medal on his 26th birthday, edging out his brother in a tight finish.
Montreal’s William Dandjinou, considered one of the top contenders entering the Games, began the final in fourth position but was handed a penalty after a reckless passing attempt. He ultimately finished outside the medals.
Dubois’s victory adds to an already impressive Olympic résumé. It was his second medal of the Milan Cortina Games, following the silver medal he earned last week in the mixed team relay. The gold also represents the first individual Olympic title of his career and brings his total Olympic medal count to five.
Maxime Laoun of Montreal competed in the B final but fell during the race, finishing eighth overall.
Dubois arrived in Milan as the reigning world champion in both the 500 and 1,000 metres, and as a three-time Olympic medallist from the Beijing Games in 2022. While he had hoped to contend for an additional medal in the 1,000 metres, he suffered an early fall in the preliminaries earlier this week.
Canada’s medal haul at the Milan Cortina Olympics now stands at 14, including four gold medals.
Short-track speed skating wraps up Friday with more medals on the line, including the men’s 5,000-metre relay and the women’s 1,500 metres.