By Short Track Manager
Félix Roussel and Florence Brunelle are Canada's short track champions for 2026. The three-day Canadian Short Track Championships at Montreal's Maurice Richard Arena (September 24–26) also decide who represents Canada on the ISU Short Track World Tour. Behind the two champions, the weekend's other story was William Dandjinou: he finished second overall days after announcing he will sit out the first two World Tour stops of the season.
On Monday, September 21, Dandjinou posted on Instagram that he will not race the Vancouver (October 23–25) or Montreal (October 30–November 1) World Tour stops, and will not try to defend the Crystal Globe he has won in each of the last two seasons.
It is a deliberate step back rather than an injury, by his own account — his comments since the announcement have been entirely about training focus and long-term development, not a physical setback. The five-time world champion went into the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics as a favourite across the individual distances, but came away with no individual medal. He finished fourth once and fifth twice, and left with silver in the mixed relay. He wrote that he had needed space after the Games and that this season would be different: he will not be everywhere, and he is taking it one step at a time.
Speaking to reporters at the Championships, he told Radio-Canada that the decision was about racing less this season and working on the details that make him a better skater ahead of the 2030 Games in France. He also said he does not expect to win the Crystal Globe this year. Head coach Marc Gagnon backed the approach, saying that even a skater who has dominated for two years still has weaknesses to work on.
The skip applies to the two North American stops only. The Championships decide Canada's team for the five World Tour stops that follow, which is why Dandjinou still raced.
Men. Roussel won his first national title with 20,000 points across his best four of six distances. He won the first 1500m, both 500m races and the first 1000m, and finished second to Dandjinou in the second 1000m. Dandjinou was second overall on 16,400 points, winning the second 1500m and the second 1000m and reaching the podium in the first 1500m and the second 500m.
Behind them, Mathieu Pelletier was on the podium in the first 1500m and both 1000m races. Steven Dubois and Maxime Laoun posted identical times for a shared silver in the first 500m, and Laoun added a bronze in the first 1000m. Jordan Pierre-Gilles was on the podium in the second 500m.
Women. Brunelle took back the national title for the first time since 2024 with 19,000 points: three gold, two silver and one bronze. She won the first 1000m, the second 1500m and the second 1000m. Danaé Blais was second on 16,200 points, winning the first 500m and finishing second in the first 1500m and the first 1000m.
Courtney Sarault, last season's champion, won the first 1500m and the second 500m. She crossed the line second in the first 1000m but was penalised for kicking out at the finish. Ann-Sophie Bachand took two silvers, and Claudia Gagnon and Kiera Pagé each reached the podium once, Pagé for the first time at a Canadian Championships.
The final day ran almost four hours late after a power outage stopped racing at the arena for just over two hours.
Not decided yet. Speed Skating Canada's high performance staff will apply the selection criteria in the 2026-27 Short Track Master Bulletin to this weekend's results. The squads will be announced "in the coming weeks." Until that list is out, nobody here has an official World Tour spot, Dandjinou included. Treat the rankings above as a strong indicator, not a confirmed roster.
Vancouver and Montreal are World Tour #1 and #2 in the game, so they are the first two scoring competitions of 2026/27. Here is where the podium skaters sit at season-start pricing:
| Skater | Category | Championships | Price | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Dandjinou | Men | 2nd overall | ◆25M | Up |
| Courtney Sarault | Women | 2 wins | ◆25M | Up |
| Steven Dubois | Men | 500m silver | ◆22M | Up |
| Félix Roussel | Men | Champion | ◆14M | Up |
| Florence Brunelle | Women | Champion | ◆14M | Up |
| Maxime Laoun | Men | 2 podiums | ◆7M | Up |
| Danaé Blais | Women | 2nd overall | ◆5M | Up |
| Jordan Pierre-Gilles | Men | 500m podium | ◆3M | Up |
| Mathieu Pelletier | Men | 3 podiums | ◆1M | Flat |
| Ann-Sophie Bachand | Women | 2 silvers | ◆1M | Flat |
| Claudia Gagnon | Women | 1500m bronze | ◆1M | Flat |
Alexandre Migner, Kiera Pagé and Victoria Jean-Baptiste all reached a podium but are not yet in the athlete pool.
Dandjinou at ◆25M is a hold-or-sell call, not a buy. He will score nothing at the first two stops. Prices use a rolling window that includes the last four World Tour competitions held, so every stop he misses adds a zero to that window. His price is likely to drift down through October. If you plan to own him from Seoul (World Tour #3, November 20–22) onwards, the cheaper entry point is probably after Montreal, not now. Two good skates at the Championships show the form is there; the calendar is the problem.
Roussel at ◆14M is the obvious replacement. He was dominant all weekend, won a race at every distance, is priced at barely more than half of Dandjinou, and has announced no plans to miss either home stop. On the women's side, Brunelle at ◆14M is the same kind of pick: a national champion priced well below Sarault's ◆25M.
The floor-priced podium finishers are the value picks. Pelletier reached three podiums and Bachand two, both at ◆1M, and Blais finished second overall at ◆5M. Whether they pay off depends entirely on the selection list. Hold off until Speed Skating Canada names the squad; a ◆1M skater who doesn't travel to Vancouver scores nothing.
| Relay | Price | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Canada Mixed Relay | ◆15M | Up |
| Canada Men's 5000m Relay | ◆13M | Up |
| Canada Women's 3000m Relay | ◆13M | Up |
Canada's men's 5000m relay will be without Dandjinou for the two home stops. On this weekend's evidence the rest of the men's field is deep, with Roussel, Dubois, Laoun and Pelletier all on the podium, but the lineup depends on the selection list, which isn't out yet.
A reminder on all of the above: prices move. Every athlete and relay team is repriced after each competition based on the rolling scoring window, so these figures are a starting point for the season, not a fixed cost.
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