Montreal speedskater Laoun finishes second in World Tour’s men’s 500-metre final

Vancouver - In the opening race of the ISU Short Track World Tour, Dutch skater Jens Van t Wout edged out Montreal's Maxime Laoun by a slim margin to claim victory in the men's 500-metre final. Laoun finished second with a time of 40.725, while Van’t Wout recorded a slightly faster time of 40.560 at the Pacific Coliseum. Turkey's Furkan Akar secured the third place with a time of 41.334, while five-time Olympic medalist and six-time world champion Steven Dubois of Laval, Que., finished fourth with a time of 54.389.

Canadian Steven Dubois, who won gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics, was disappointed with his fourth-place finish in his home country. Mathieu Pelletier of Laval, Que., placed third in the men's 500-metre B final with a time of 41.262. Jongun Rim of South Korea won the women's 1,000-metres A final with a time of 1:32.954, while Xandra Velzeboer of the Netherlands placed second at 1:33.074, and Italian Gloria Ioriatti finished third at 1:33.216.