Milan (Rajeev Sharma): Canada’s Courtney Sarault came within reach of completing a full Olympic medal set at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, ultimately securing silver in the women’s 1000m on Day 10 of competition.
The 25-year-old from Moncton, New Brunswick had already captured bronze in the 500m and silver in the mixed relay earlier in the Games. For much of Monday’s nine-lap final, gold appeared well within her grasp as she led through the opening half of the race.
However, in the closing laps, Sarault slipped briefly to third before battling back to finish second. Despite earning her third medal of the Games, she admitted to feeling disappointed immediately afterward.
“In the moment, I was a little bit down because I feel I made a little error with three or four laps to go,” she said. “I kind of didn’t do the right decision in the heat of the moment. But I skated with heart and gave everything I had.”
The result marks significant progress from her 11th-place finish in the 1000m at Beijing 2022. Sarault becomes just the third Canadian woman to medal in the Olympic 1000m short track event, joining Nathalie Lambert, who won silver at Lillehammer 1994, and teammate Kim Boutin, who claimed silver at PyeongChang 2018.
Boutin, now a five-time Olympic medallist, celebrated with Sarault rinkside following the race. The pair are the only Canadian women to win three short track medals at a single Olympic Games.
Reflecting later, Sarault embraced the upward trajectory of her podium finishes. “My last one was bronze. Silver, so we’re kind of going up slowly but surely,” she said. “I’m really proud of myself.”
Canada also delivered strong performances in the men’s events. The quartet of William Dandjinou, Maxime Laoun, Steven Dubois, and Félix Roussel won their semifinal heat in the 5000m relay, advancing to Friday’s four-team A final with a strong medal opportunity.
Dandjinou, Dubois and Laoun also progressed through their respective 500m heats, booking spots in Wednesday’s quarterfinals as Canada continues its push for more podium finishes in Milan.
