Speed skater Courtney Sarault continued her impressive streak by clinching a gold medal in the women’s 1,500 meters at the Canadian short track championships in Montreal. The Moncton, N.B., native finished with a time of two minutes and 34.940 seconds, leading ahead of Danaé Blais of Châteauguay, Que. (2:34.995) and Florence Brunelle of Trois-Rivières, Que. (2:35.310).
Sarault’s victory comes after her silver medal win in the same event at the 2025 world championships. At the Milano-Cortina Olympics last February, she secured four medals and placed ninth in the 1,500 meters. Post-Olympics, she contributed to Team Canada’s silver medal in the mixed 2,000m relay at the world short-track championships in Montreal.
In a remarkable achievement on November 30, Sarault became the first Canadian woman to claim the overall title at the short track World Tour finale in Dordrecht, Netherlands. She secured nine medals across four Tour stops, including five gold, three silver, and one bronze.
Additionally, Félix Roussel of Sherbrooke, Que., emerged victorious in the men’s 1,500 meters, clocking 2:17.538. The 25-year-old defeated Mathieu Pelletier of Laval (2:17.705) and Will Dandjinou of Montreal (2:17.708). Roussel, a member of the silver-winning Olympic team in the mixed team relay, also had a strong showing at last year’s short track nationals with three podium finishes.
Roussel also claimed the top spot in the men’s 500 meters, finishing in 40.993 seconds. Maxime Laoun of Montreal and Steven Dubois of Terrebonne, Que., followed closely, with Laoun earning silver and Dubois taking the bronze. Laoun and Dubois were part of the Canadian men’s 5,000m team that secured gold at the world championships.
At the same world championships, Dubois, 29, secured victory in the men’s 500 meters after his earlier success in the Olympics. The duo’s accomplishments underline Canada’s strong presence in short track speed skating competitions.