By Mike Hallman
Maybe we’re spoiled, but we’ve come to expect more from Team Canada.
Canada’s showing was disappointing at the ISU World Cup Short Track speed skating competition Oct. 1719. Our skaters only managed to capture a single gold medal, two silver medals, and a lone bronze–a poor showing considering the strength of the Canadian squad.
Jonathan Guilmette, who was impressive on the weekend, took gold in the men’s 500m, with a time of 42.000, while teammate Jean-Francois Monette took silver in the same race, with a time of 42.205.
"I feel good," said Guilmette. "I was not expecting to win, especially in the 500."
Guilmette also took silver in the 1000m, with a time of 1:26.458, a mere 0.065 seconds behind Korean Seung-Jae Lee. Guilmette crossed the finish line in third place, but American Apolo Anton Ohno was disqualified for pushing.
Amelie Goulet-Nadon rounded out Canada’s medals, nabbing in the ladies 500m, with a time of 44.835.
The Canadian men’s relay team started out the weekend strongly, winning the heats on Friday. Saturday, they won the semi-finals. They were favored to win gold in the finals on Sunday, but regrettably, Mathieu Turcotte fell hard, halfway through the 45-lap race. The team never made up the quarter lap lost due to the fall, and finished in fourth place.
"I think I came into the corner on the heels of my blades," said Turcotte. "I feel very disappointed with myself for my mistake, and I take the blame."
Although the Canadian skaters walked around with dejected looks on their faces, the coaching staff remained upbeat and optimistic.
"This happens every year," said head coach Guy Thibault. "We start slow, but we’ll learn from this weekend."