Olympic and world champions lead Canadian short track speed skating team into 2024-25 season
A team of 10 talented Canadian short track speed skaters are set to take on the world in the first two stops of the all-new ISU Short Track World Tour, which kicks off at home in Montreal in late October.
The “Canadian Ice Maples”, as Team Canada will be called, initially includes five Olympians, three Olympic medallists, and two reigning world champions. They’ll be taking on the likes of the USA Eagles, Chinese Loongs, Korean White Tigers, Dutch Lions, and Italian Gladiators.
Several team members have been key contributors to Canada’s international success over the last few seasons, while a couple of skaters will look to make their mark on the global stage.
Though results this season will not have any direct impact on Olympic qualification, skaters will have the opportunity to compete at what will be the Olympic venue for Milano Cortina 2026.
Here’s a quick look at some of Team Canada’s athletes and stories to watch in short track speed skating.
Major Competitions in Canada
- ISU Short Track World Tour – October 25-27 – Montreal, Quebec
World Championships
- ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships – March 14-16 – Beijing, China
Who and What to Watch
What was previously the ISU World Cup Short Track has been re-branded as the ISU Short Track World Tour. It includes six stops on three continents. Following the first two stops in Montreal (October 25-27) and Salt Lake City (November 1-3), the series will resume in Asia with stops in Beijing (December 6-8) and Seoul (December 13-15). Then there is a bit of a break before the European stops in Tilburg, Netherlands (February 7-9) and Milan (February 14-16). That last stop will take place at the Ice Skating Arena which will host Olympic competition one year later.
Individual athletes will again be vying for the Crystal Globe, awarded to the top-ranked male and female skaters of the season. But new this season is a Team Crystal Globe, awarded to the nation with the highest number of individual and relay points. If the recent past is any indication, you can expect that the Canadian Ice Maples will be among the squads in contention.
Four Canadian men – William Dandjinou, Steven Dubois, Jordan Pierre-Gilles, and Félix Roussel – will be looking to build on their great success last season in which they all won individual gold medals on the World Cup circuit. That helped Dubois and Dandjinou finish second and third in the overall World Cup standings, while Pierre-Gilles, Dubois, and Roussel finished 1-2-3 in the 500m standings, and Dandjinou topped the 1500m standings.
Dandjinou went on to win 1000m gold at the ISU World Championships where Pierre-Gilles took bronze in the 500m. In September, Dandjinou won his second straight national title, just ahead of three-time Olympic medallist Dubois, setting the tone for what’s to come.
“I don’t like using the word ‘expectations’ because nothing is guaranteed,” Dandjinou said when asked about whether what he achieved last season would impact him in 2024-25. “For me, it’s all about aspirations. I want to achieve more. I’m still hungry for results. And I keep in mind that this is a great year for preparing for the Olympic Games.”
Before any results, though, his first goal is to have fun. “I always have fun, but this season I really want to enjoy it. And, of course, after the world championships last year, I want to repeat that success, not just in one distance, but in two or three.”
Pierre-Gilles has already proven himself as a star of the shortest distance, so he spent his off-season trying to improve in the 1000m and was rewarded by achieving his goal of qualifying to also race that event internationally.
“This summer I worked really hard to be able to sustain my speed and have endurance in important laps of the 1000,” he said. “I have the tools strategically, but physically I needed a little more gas in the tank so I worked extremely hard on that.”
One notable name that won’t be around is Pascal Dion. The two-time Olympic medallist announced his retirement in June. But a new one to know is Philippe Daudelin. The 22-year-old competed in his first two career World Cup stops last season.
On the women’s side, 20-year-old Florence Brunelle is poised to breakout after winning her first national title in September thanks to four victories and one runner-up finish in her six races. She is a multi medallist at the ISU Junior World Championships – including three gold medals – since she made her Olympic debut at Beijing 2022 at age 18.
Her summer training was focused as much on the mental aspect of her sport as it was on the technical and physical aspects with a big goal in mind.
“I want to be in the best short track athletes in the world and I’m ready and willing to do everything that I have to do to get there,” said Brunelle. “We’re in the pre-Olympic season, the Olympics are happening kinda soon, not soon but very soon at the same time, so I’m looking forward to that. This season is very important to make sure I get into the Olympic season on the right foot.”
Four-time Olympic medallist Kim Boutin provides veteran leadership. She took some much-needed time off last fall to pursue her educational interests, which meant she wasn’t at her physical peak, but she still returned to win 500m gold at the 2024 World Championships for her first career world title.
“This season, with the experience I’ve gained, I’m aiming to perform at key moments in my career,” said Boutin of her goals going forward. “I’m going to try some bolder moves, maybe take more risks, and if I get disqualified sometimes, it’s because the sport has changed and I need to adapt. I’m not a big fan of too much contact, but I think I’ll have to get used to it more as the sport is becoming more aggressive.
“I need to be daring and go for it.”
Danaé Blais was the runner-up to Brunelle at the national championships, winning both 1000m events. She earned her first individual World Cup medals last season but has been a stalwart on the Canadian women’s relay squads in recent years, helping win bronze at the 2024 World Championships.
Rounding out the team for the start of the season are Rikki Doak and Qi Miao. Doak won back-to-back world bronze medals with the women’s 3000m relay in 2023 and 2024 and last season earned her first individual World Cup victory with a gold in the 500m in Montreal. At 19, Miao is the newcomer to the senior international circuit after having been junior national champion last year.
Currently on the sidelines is Olympian and eight-time world medallist Courtney Sarault, who missed the Canadian championships in mid-September after suffering a concussion. She is hoping to get her health and strength back to where it needs to be to join the team later in the season.