Canadian speed skater completes dramatic finish to win Olympic medal
Canada had two finalists among five competitors for an Olympic medal in women’s 500-metre speed skating.
Even though their medal odds looked strong, it appeared as though Canada might get shut out on the podium.
Courtney Sarault and Kim Boutin both had chances to take home medals in short-track speed skating. However, they began the races in fourth and fifth, respectively.
They stayed on those spots for most of the race before Sarault began to make a push.
Her final push was just enough, as Sarault ended up winning a bronze medal for Canada.
SARAULT WINS BRONZE!!! š
— Trevor Beggs (@TrevBeggs) February 12, 2026
Not much separated the spots two through four in this five-person race. Sarault finished with a time of 42.427 seconds, about .13 seconds behind silver medal-winner Arianna Fontana (Italy).
Sarault also narrowly beat out Selma Poutsma, finishing just .07 seconds ahead of the Dutch skater for a spot on the podium.
Safe to say, it’s been a memorable second appearance at the Olympics for the Moncton, New Brunswick, native.
After helping Canada win silver in the team relay earlier in the Olympics, the 25-year-old now has her first individual medal as an Olympian.
During her debut at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, she was shut out on the podium. Her highest finish was fourth in the women’s 3000-metre relay.
Kim Boutin, who was competing in her third Olympics, finished fifth in the race. She has five career Olympic medals, including a silver at these Games in the short-track team relay event.