Charles Hamelin wins gold and Kim Boutin earns bronze at short-track World Cup
SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — Canada’s Charles Hamelin won gold in the men’s 1,500 metres and Kim Boutin took bronze in the women’s 1,500 on Saturday at the ISU World Cup short-track speedskating stage.
Hamelin from Sainte-Julie, Que., beat South Korea’s Dae Heon Hwang and American skater J.R. Celski. Samuel Girard from Ferland-et-Boilleau, Que., was fourth out of a total of seven skaters in the A final. Hamelin earned his second individual medal this World Cup season, his first gold. He won bronze in the 1,500 metres in Dordrecht, the Netherlands.
“This is a medal that feels really good,” said Hamelin. “The way I raced today, the way I felt in the building and out on the ice, it was really something else, I think that is the best I’ve felt all season. It came at the right time, in the last 1,500 metres and next-to-last day of competition before the Olympic Games. This is the result of the work that’s been done this year, and also of the work I’ve done mentally over the years.”
Boutin, from Sherbrooke, Que., finished behind South Korean skaters Min Jeong Choi and Suk Hee Shim, respectively. Marianne St-Gelais of Saint-Felicien, Que., was fourth out of seven skaters in the A final.