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Will Dandjinou won another gold medal at the short track World Tour on Saturday, which helped him clinch another men's overall season title.
Dandjinou won the men's 1,500-metre final at the last World Tour stop of the season in Dordrecht, Netherlands. That latest victory gave him an insurmountable lead in the men's overall season standings and handed him back-to-back Crystal Globe wins.
WATCH | Dandjinou clinches Crystal Globe with gold in men's 1,500m:Will Dandjinou's 1,500-metre short track speed skating World Tour victory in Dordrecht, Netherlands, on Saturday secured the overall Crystal Globe for the overall men's title as teammate Felix Roussel captured silver.The Montreal native crossed the line in two minutes, 16.600 seconds to win his seventh individual gold medal of the season, while Canadian teammate Felix Roussel, of Sherbrooke, Que., was right behind in 2:16.670 for silver.
"It feels great [to share the podium with Felix Roussel], we've been talking about it since the beginning of the season," Dandjinou said after the medal ceremony. "Obviously, at national trials we were fighting it out, I just think it's well deserved and it could have been the gold for him also today, so I'm very happy to share it with him."
China's Sun Long rounded out the podium in bronze-medal position with a time of 2:16.772.
Dandjinou, who later added a silver medal in the men's 500m final to clinch the World Tour title in the distance, ended Saturday's races with a total of 832 points on the season. His next closest competitor – Italy's Pietro Sighel – has 594 points.
“I’m very happy to share the podium with Félix today in the 1500m, in an environment with an incredible crowd like here in Dordrecht.," Dandjinou said in a release. "I’m also happy with my 500m; it was a slightly more strategic race. There were a lot of lessons learned, for me and for the team as a whole, during this day of competition.”
In an interview with host Ariel Helwani earlier this season, Dandjinou talked about the expectations he has for himself at the upcoming Milano-Cortina Winter Games.
WATCH | Is Will Dandjinou an Olympic star in the making?:Host Ariel Helwani sits down with the short track speed skater from Montreal to discuss his meteoric rise in the sport, and if he's feeling the pressure of multiple medal expectations leading into Milano Cortina 2026.The men's 500 final was wild from start to finish. Starting with a six-man field rather than the usual four due to semifinal advancements, the increased field created the opportunity for plenty of contact.
That factored into the decision as it appeared Canadian Steven Dubois had won the race, only to be penalized for a lane change violation that lightly-bumped Sighel and saw him crash out of the race.
WATCH | Dandjinou adds silver medal to haul from Dordrecht:Will Dandjinou captured a silver medal in the men's 500m short track final at a World Tour stop in Dordrecht, Netherlands, on Saturday.American Andrew Heo (42.012) was bumped up to gold while Dandjinou (42.136) and Poland's Felix Pigeon (42.218) took silver and bronze, respectively.
On the women's side, Canada's Courtney Sarault also leads the chase for the Crystal Globe, a lead she increased thanks to another gold medal win in the 1,000m on Saturday.
Sarault, of Moncton, N.B., won her third gold in the discipline this season by crossing the line in 1:27.701, holding off a late charge by American Corrine Stoddard, who took silver in 1:27.752.
Belgium's Hanne Desmet rounded out the podium in bronze-medal position.
WATCH | Sarault takes gold in 1,000m final in Dordrecht:Courtney Sarault, of Moncton, N.B., won Saturday's short track World Tour 1,000m final in Dordrecht, Netherlands.The 25-year-old Sarault, who won the Crystal Globe last season, has won a total of four gold medals this season to keep her atop the overall season standings. She leads Stoddard by 100 points with just two individual events remaining.
“I’m very happy about my race, I was having some doubts yesterday but I woke up today and focused on what I could control and on having some fun too, and it paid off,” Sarault said.
Live coverage of the Dordrecht event continues on Sunday at 7:35 a.m. ET, which will live stream on CBCSports.ca and on CBC Gem. Events include the men’s 1,000m and 5,000m relay, women’s 1,500m and 500m, and 2,000m mixed relay. Check the CBC Sports broadcast schedule for more details on how to watch speed skating events this season.