Speed ​​skating: Kim Putin predicted the best career result in the world

Kim Putin achieved the best result of her career at the World Championships, taking second place overall.

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With a slim three-point lead in the overall standings after day one, Putin knew everything was going to go down to the last two races of the day.

The four-time Olympic medalist had to bow to Mingyeong Choi who won the 1,000m and 3,000m super finals each time ahead of Putin to win the overall.

Choi scored 107 points, compared to 84 points for Putin. Imperial All weekend, the Koreans won their fourth career title and first since 2018.

stability

Putin, whose best overall result before this year was 3^And A place in 2019. Consistency is what I am most proud of. It was a great experience showing where I am and making me realize what I need to improve. »

Wrestling between two men

Putin wraps up the world with three individual silver medals. After being eliminated from the A final in the 500 meters, Choi won the other three events. The Super Final is for cumulative ranking purposes only and no medals are awarded.

“It was all for everything between us, in short Putin. The winner of the Grand Final will get the overall title. Because there are not very good skaters. [Arianna Fontana et Suzanne Schulting entre autres]It was a one-on-one battle, and that’s another challenge. Minjeong is an endurance machine and I have to learn how to overtake. I was able to manage my 3000m machine. “.

“Unlike the Games where happiness was the priority, I added the element of competition to the two worlds, to continue Putin who had a very painful experience in the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang. Despite this addition, I was able to continue to smile. I felt stressed, but it is normal to experience the ups and downs as It is the case in the F-1.”

The Sherbrooke skater doesn’t want to look too far, but the chances of her making it to the starting line in Italy in 2026 are very good. She said: “I go there every year, but I want to believe it. I will be 31 in 2026 and that will be a huge challenge. My performance in the World Cup gives me the desire to go further.”

Vice world champion in cumulative last year, Courtney Sarlault finished at 5^And Square.

“A 5^And She said the place is very good. I’m so proud looking at where I was two weeks ago. »

relay revenge

In the 3000m relay, Putin and her teammates Sarault, Florence Brunel and Alison Charles enjoyed their Olympic revenge when they finished on the podium.

In a stunning final, the Canadian quartet won the silver medal. From the outside, Korea’s Choi blew the win for the Canadians, who dominated throughout the race.

“We had a good race and recovered from our performance in Beijing,” Putin said. We were very united and executed our plan well. I had a little contact with the Dutch lady in the last corner and didn’t see the Korean coming from outside. It’s been a long time since I finished my assignment. »

In Beijing, Sarlault completed the relay. Canadian coach Sebastian Kroos has changed the rankings in the two worlds. “We showed what we wanted,” said Brunel, who did not participate in the singles events. We’ve had several meetings with the team. We bounced back and turned the page on Beijing. I was looking forward to go. With just one sprint, I’ve learned to deal with this situation. »

Dion is the vice world champion

An unexpected result in the Super 3000m final for the Montreal skater

Pascal Dion rocked the Maurice Richard Arena circuit with two passes in the final rounds of the 3000m Super Final, which allowed him to win the race and, above all, take the title of Vice World Champion in the cumulative standings.

pointing to 4^And Finishing first in the general classification before setting off in the final singles event of the day, five points clear of the second-placed, Dion played patiently before outsmarting Korea’s Lee Jun-seo and Belgium’s Steen Desmet, who preceded him in the championship. arrangement.

Hungarian Shaoang Liu was already crowned champion for the second year in a row after three events due to his three victories, however Hungarian Shaoang Liu made only a presence in the Super Final, saving his energies for the 5000m relay after just 30 minutes.

This runner-up title caps by far the best season of his career with Dion, who won the World Cup title in the 1000 metres, won two world medals in front of his home crowd and won the Olympic gold in the relay.

“The title of Vice World Champion means a lot to me,” said Dion, who had only one World Cup medal before this season. It rewards all the work invested for many years. I didn’t have high expectations of going to the realms. I wasn’t expecting to finish second overall. »

“My legs hurt a lot during the Super Final,” continued Dion, who received a hug from coaches Sebastian Kroos and Marc Gagnon after his victory. “The fans played a big part and pushed me in the last laps. It’s a fun feeling to feel the crowd.”

World Cup champion in the 1000m race, Dion was unable to qualify for the final A of his favorite event, but he did not give up and won the final by collecting valuable points in the final battle for second place overall.

“The stakes were high in the super final because I didn’t have to let myself be crossed,” he explained. As soon as one of my opponents tried to escape, I had to follow him. It was hard physically and mentally. »

With her silver medal in the 1500m and her B final win in the 500m on Saturday, Dion finished with 63 points. Lee took bronze with 55 points, while Desmet finished in 4 .^And Center with 39 points. Olympic champion in the 500-meter race in Beijing, Liu went single-handedly with 104 points.

For his part, Stephen Dubois saw his run in the semi-finals of the 1000 metres come to an end. His score was not enough to allow him to slip into the top 8 skaters selected for the super final. occupy 10^And In the cumulative standings before the last day and still has chances to climb the few lost scores. Finally concluded at 12^And center, while Jordan Pierre Gilles got 16^And Square.