SHANGHAI – Marianne St-Gelais, Valerie Maltais and Samuel Girard won individual medals Sunday on a five-medal day for Canada at the ISU World Cup short-track speedskating competition.
St-Gelais, from Saint-Felicien, Que., won silver in the women’s 500 metres while Maltais, from La Baie, Que., took silver in the 1,500. Girard, from Ferland-et-Boilleau, Que., won bronze in the men’s 500 and the Canadian relay teams added women’s silver and men’s bronze.
St-Gelais has won seven medals in eight individual events this season.
"Not only did I have a Korean and a Chinese skater to deal with behind me, but there was also Chinese skater (and gold medallist) Kexin Fan in front of me," she said. "I was able to control my spot in second place. It’s true that I didn’t win, but being able to maintain second position in a race where the level was so high, it’s quite satisfying."
Maltais, meanwhile, finished between South Korean skaters Suk Hee Shim and Alang Kim.
"I overtook on the inside and it took me a lot of time and energy to get to first place," Maltais said. "Once I found myself in front, I was able to stay there until the last lap. I really gave it my all but at the end, it was a really fast race and I had trouble maintaining my energy level.