The great wall of Canada might not have worked in Shanghai on Saturday, but it succeeded on Sunday.
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Kim Boutin and Marianne St-Gelais ensured a Canadian one-two in the ladies’ 1000m at the Audi ISU World Cup Short Track by grabbing the lead early and doubling down the rest of the race.
Their wall was so effective that the others were virtually jostling for third place, which eventually went to Arianna Fontana of Italy.
“I know I’m comfortable in front so of course it was my plan. I stuck with my plan not [to] think about the results and just my technique and everything I need to work on," Boutin said.
“My mental preparations (for the Olympics) are pretty good so I feel confident about the rest of the season.”
The victory earned Boutin her second individual gold at the Shanghai leg of the world cup series.
Team mate St-Gelais elaborated on the strategy.
“I wanted to be in front of the pack, to be aware if things happen around us. It’s always nice to skate with a teammate because we can skate as two instead of one.
“We were way stronger than the others so there was no point in trying anything or risking anything. I was just protecting (our position),” the three-time Olympic silver medallist said.
On Saturday, St-Gelais and teammate Valerie Maltais failed to block Korea’s Choi Min Jeong from leapfrogging them in the 1500m.
For Fontana, her race was not helped by a hit on her right blade, which affected her final three laps.
“I had it in my legs to go but my right wasn’t good so I couldn’t really push hard on it,” she explained.
“But I'm really happy I was in the finals for the 15 (1500m), the 5 (500m) and now here and the relay, so it’s a good weekend.”
There was no B final as there were only two qualifiers.
World cup leader Shim Suk Hee (KOR) was penalised in the semifinals while world champion Elise Christie suffered another penalty in an earlier round.
Full results and classifications