Canada's Steven Dubois skates to short track gold in men's 500m, women take relay bronze
CBC
Steven Dubois, who fell in each of his first two attempts at the Olympic medal podium in Milan, decided to take a risk in his next challenge — the men's 500-metre final on Wednesday.
The short track speed skater from Terrebonne, Que., changed his strategy, opting to go full throttle off the line with the belief his start is superior to that of Dutch skater Melle van 't Wout and his younger brother, Jens. From there, Dubois planned to control the four-and-a-half lap race, maintain the lead and slow the pace when necessary.
"If it works, you can win," Dubois told Devin Heroux of CBC Sports. "If it doesn't, there's a good chance to finish last."
The move paid off for Dubois, who reached the finish line first in 40.85 seconds to beat Melle (40.91) and Jens (41.92) for his first individual medal of these Games, following his silver in mixed team relay on Feb. 10.
"It's not the type of race I usually do," Dubois said, "but it's what I had to do to beat the Dutch [skaters]. I bet on myself … and wanted that gold medal."
The 28-year-old captured 500 bronze four years ago in Beijing in a three-medal haul that also included silver in the 1,500 and 5,000 relay gold.
In Milan, Dubois endured a couple of rough patches after the mixed relay competition.
Last weekend, he fell with eight-and-a-half laps remaining in the men's 1,500 and finished sixth. Dubois was eliminated from medal contention in the 1,000 on Feb. 10 after a collision with Great Britain's Niall Treacy during their heat.
"With the ups and downs this year with injuries and the weird start I had to these Games, [there isn't a] better feeling for me," said Dubois.
"I don't think I've ever been stressed [before a competition] but it's been two days [that] I've had trouble sleeping. The pressure will come down tonight [and] I'll sleep super well."
Canada's medal total is 14, including three other gold from freestyle skiers Mikaël Kingsbury, Megan Oldham and long track speed skaters Isabelle Weideman, Valerie Maltais and Ivanie Blondin in women's team pursuit.
Dubois, the 2025 world champion in the 500, picked up a pair of bronze medals in the event on the World Tour this season following a partial tear in the labrum of his hip last summer after being hampered by a leg injury.
"It was a bit of a struggle for, maybe, six weeks leading up to the Canadian championship [last August]," Dubois told CBC Sports in November. By the time he arrived at that event, the unofficial start of the season, Dubois’s condition deteriorated to the point where he couldn’t race.
In 2023, Dubois grabbed world 500m silver and won back-to-gold at the Four Continents championships in 2023 and 2024.
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