Music: {allcanada} CANADIANS WIN THREE MEDALS AT WC SPEED SKATING EVENT

Saturday, February 9, 2013

{allcanada} CANADIANS WIN THREE MEDALS AT WC SPEED SKATING EVENT

DRESDEN, Germany -- Charle Cournoyer, of Boucherville, Que., captured a silver medal Saturday at a World Cup short-track speedskating event.

It was one of three medals for Canadian competitors as Marie-Eve Drolet of Laterriere, Que., and Guillaume Bastille of Riviere-du-Loup, Que., both registered third-place finishes.

Cournoyer finished second in the men's 1,000-metre final with a time of one minute and 25.732 seconds. China's Wenhao Liang claimed the gold in 1:25.677 while Victor An of Russia was third in 1:25.824.

Bastille took third in the men's 1,500-metre race, collecting his second bronze medal of the season with a time of 2:14.179. Korean Da Woon Sin was first in 2:13.149 while American J.R. Celski was second in 2:13.195.

Francois Hamelin, of Sainte-Julie, Que., was 16th while Vincent Cournoyer, of Boucherville, Que., was 19th.

Drolet, a week before her 31st birthday, was third in the women's 1,500 for her second medal of the season. Elise Christie of Great Britain won the gold in 2:21.851 with Korea's Min-Jung Kim second in 2:21.952.

Gabrielle Waddell, of Red Deer, Alta., was eighth.

The Canadian women's relay team qualified for the final against China, Korea and the Netherlands. After a fall early in the first minute of the race, Canada rallied to finish second.