Dubois Strikes Gold, Canada Medals in Short Track and Hockey at Milan Cortina 2026
MILAN – Canada continued its strong showing at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, securing gold in men’s 500m short track speed skating, bronze in the women’s 3,000m relay and advancing in men’s hockey, though not without a scare involving team captain Sidney Crosby.
Dubois Claims Individual Short Track Glory
Steven Dubois of Terrebonne, Quebec, won gold in the men’s 500-metre short track final, finishing in 40.835 seconds. CBC Sports reports that Dubois led from the start and never relinquished his advantage, besting Dutch brothers Melle van ’t Wout and Jens van ’t Wout, who took silver and bronze respectively. This marks Dubois’s second career Olympic gold medal and his second medal at the Milano Cortina 2026 Games. Olympics.com notes that Dubois’s winning time was 40.85 seconds.
“It was the one I was missing,” Dubois said, according to CBC Sports. “I can’t say it’s never been on my mind, but I never wanted to really give myself hope, or make it an objective, because it’s so hard.”
Teammate William Dandjinou faced disappointment after being assessed a penalty in the final for a reckless passing attempt. Olympic.ca highlights that this is Team Canada’s first medal in a men’s individual short track event at these Games.
Women’s Relay Secures Bronze
The Canadian women’s 3,000-metre relay team – Danaé Blais, Florence Brunelle, Kim Boutin, and Courtney Sarault – captured bronze, finishing in 4:04.314. CBC Sports reports that they led for much of the race before being overtaken by South Korea (gold) and Italy (silver). This medal is particularly significant for Kim Boutin, who now ties Charles Hamelin and Cindy Klassen as Canada’s most decorated Winter Olympians with six career Olympic medals. Courtney Sarault secured her fourth medal of the Games with this performance.
Hockey Team Advances Despite Crosby Injury
In a dramatic quarterfinal matchup, the Canadian men’s hockey team defeated Czechia in overtime. CBC Sports details that Nick Suzuki scored late in regulation to tie the game, and Mitch Marner secured the win one minute and 22 seconds into overtime. However, the victory came at a cost, as captain Sidney Crosby left the game in the second period after suffering a leg injury.
“That was a huge thing coming in, if we lose this game, we didn’t want this to be Sid’s last game of this Olympics,” Canada coach Jon Cooper told CBC Sports. Canada will face Finland in the semifinals on Friday.
Mixed Results in Freestyle Events
Canada experienced mixed results in other events. Mark McMorris finished eighth in men’s snowboard slopestyle, despite recently recovering from injuries sustained in training. Montreal Gazette reports that McMorris was cleared to compete just last week after sustaining a concussion, pelvic bone bruising, and strained abdominal muscles. Laurie Blouin finished fifth in women’s snowboard slopestyle, whereas Marion Thénault placed seventh in women’s freeski aerials.
Curling Teams Continue Strong Performance
Both Canadian curling teams continued their successful runs. Rachel Homan’s women’s team improved to 5-3 with a win over Italy, while Brad Jacobs’s men’s team reached 7-1 with a victory against Italy.
As of February 18, Canada’s medal count stands at 14 (four gold, four silver, and six bronze).