Disaster strikes for Canada's William Dandjinou in Olympic short-track speed skating
William Dandjinou was looking for revenge.
The 24-year-old, after failing to medal during the men’s 1000-metre event on Thursday, got his shot at redemption.
After finishing first in both of his heats during the 1500-metre short track speed skating action, the Sherbrooke, Quebec native had a great shot at a gold medal.
That was when disaster struck. Not just for Dandjinou, but Canada’s other participant in the 1500-metre final, Steven Dubois.
Dubois caught an edge and crashed into the boards early on in the race. There was no interference on the play.
However, it was always Dandjinou who had Canada’s best shot at a medal.
After taking an early lead, Dandjinou slipped back into second place.
Then, as the race entered its final laps, the Quebec native was bumped by Korean Shin Dong Min.
Heartbreak for William Dandjinou š¢
— Trevor Beggs (@TrevBeggs) February 14, 2026
Even after he was bumped, Dandjinou was able to get back into third place.
But, clearly, he had lost some momentum.
Lavtia’s Roberts Kruzbergs overtook Dandjinou in the final lap of the race. He wound up finishing third, giving Latvia its first-ever medal in short-track speed skating.
Shin Dong Min, who originally bumped Dandjinou, finished fourth.
Jens van ‘t Wout of the Netherlands won gold, while South Korea’s Hwang Dae Heon will take home silver.
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After the race finished, the play was reviewed, but there was no punishment dished out for the play.
And just like that, one of Canada’s candidates to win gold finished off the podium.
Dandjinou has another shot at snagging that elusive Olympic medal in individual events, when he begins racing in the men’s 500-metre short track event, starting on Monday, Feb. 16.
And it’s clear which colour medal he has his eyes on.
Clearly still upset when speaking with reporters, Dandjinou wasn’t interested in dissecting what went wrong. Instead, he gave a statement.
“I only have one thing to say,” Dandjinou said, addressing reporters in Milan. “One day, I will be Olympic champion. Mark my words. That’s the only thing I have to say to you. Thank you.”
Dubois isn’t worried about Dandjinou psyche heading forward.
“I know William. He’ll be mad or disappointed for a couple hours. He’ll sleep on it. He’ll go take a walk. It happens, he’ll be fine tomorrow. And his team spirit is super strong. His motivation to go for gold is even higher. So when we’re back for another distance on Monday, he’ll be totally fresh.”
Despite the disappointment in this event, not all was lost for Canada in speed skating.
Canada’s women’s short track team — Courtney Sarault, Florence Brunelle, Kim Boutin, and Danae Blais — qualified for the finals in the 3000-metre relay. The final for that event takes place on Wednesday.
Sarault, Brunelle, and Boutin also qualified for the next stage in the women’s 1000-metre short track race, with the final taking place on Monday.
Canada will enter Day 9 of the Winter Olympics still eight medals, but none of them gold. It’s the first time Canada has been left without gold at this stage of the Winter Olympics in 38 years.