Canada's Felix Roussel could not have picked a better time to win his first individual ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating gold medal.
With his parents in the stands at the Joynext Arena in Dresden, Germany on Sunday, the 23-year-old achieved one of the best results of his career as he won the men's 500m final in a thrilling finish.
In Saturday’s 1000m, he had been 0.76 of a second from a maiden win but had to settle for second place behind the currently unbeatable Park Ji Won (KOR).
Felix Roussel (CAN) sticks his blade forwards in a bid to steal gold from Kazakhstan's Denis Nikisha in the 500m. @ISU
"It's really special because yesterday I had a silver, today the gold, and my parents came from Canada to see me," Roussel said.
"It's the first trip to Europe for my mum so it's really special, she was crying in the stands."
For most of the final, however, it had looked like the Canadian was going to pick up another silver medal as Kazakhstan's Denis Nikisha started at a high pace, getting himself a gap to the rest of the pack.
The 28-year-old had the lead from the start to end, but Roussel made a push in the last lap, inspired by his family in the stands.
"I knew they were watching closely so I was trying to give them a good show," he said.
In the last metres of the race, he was so close to Nikisha that he could throw his foot forward and win the race, but the Kazakh got in the way and got a penalty for obstruction, handing Roussel the win.
Roussel and Nikisha tumbled to the ice but the Canadian was awarded the gold after the Kazakh was adjudged to have pushed him. @ISU
"I was obviously aiming for gold, I wanted to win that race. But Denis is so strong, he had such a good pace all weekend so I tried to do some passes during the race but he's racing so fast," Roussel said.
"At the end I had a really good corner but it was so tight. I thought I had it (the victory) but then I didn't, but of course, he pushed me. I was like 'Cross the line, cross the line', then we both crashed, but this is Short Track, it's exciting."
Roussel, whose teammate Jordan Pierre-Gilles (CAN) took silver as Lukasz Kuczynski (POL) finished third, said he had not really understood what happened at the end of the race.
"I felt it but then you just forget that it happened because I was falling, then I saw the people behind coming and I didn't want to crash into other people," he said.
"Everything went so fast but when I saw the replay I was pretty confident that they were going to give me that gold."
Roussel's teammate Jordan Pierre-Gilles took 500m silver and Lukasz Kuczynski (POL) the bronze. @ISU
Apart from an unforgettable experience to share with his parents, the two medals from Dresden give Roussel a boost for the remainder of the season, where the ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in March are a goal.
"It brings a lot of confidence," he said.
"I always have a good progression during the year and each February I'm always better than in the beginning of the season. I'll race, progress and hopefully keep it for March."
Park doubles up in 1000m to move closer to Crystal Globe
In the weekend's second men's 1000m final, the winner was the same as on Saturday. The overall World Cup rankings No.1 Park Ji Won (KOR) took his second gold medal in the event in Dresden to take one step closer to a second consecutive Crystal Globe trophy.
Park Ji Won (KOR) won his second 1000m of the weekend ahead of teammate Jang Sungwoo and Adil Galiakhmetov (NAZ). @ISU
"My favourite event is 1000m, so it is always nice to win it," Park said.
It had been a messy final, in which first Daan Kos (NED) and then William Dandjinou (CAN) had crashed out of the competition. Park had taken the last place in the group until the seventh of nine laps when he started to advance, avoiding getting dragged down by falling opponents.
"It wasn't a tactic, but I was actually very surprised. My body that moved in surprise was being avoided by the falling skaters. I didn't do it, but my body did it," he said.
In the seventh lap of nine, Park got third place after Dandjinou had fallen and went past his teammate Jang Sungwoo (KOR) in the penultimate lap to take the win. Sungwoo, who had kept the lead from lap four, had to settle for second place as Adil Galiakhmetov (KAZ) finished third.
Asked what obstacles were in the way of him winning this year's Crystal Globe, Park said that "maybe there's nothing that can stop it".
Park's second gold in Dresden puts him in pole position to retain the Crystal Globe trophy for the best overall skater. @ISU
Galiakhmetov's bronze was his first individual medal this season and the third podium of his career.
"I'm very happy because all season I've been training very hard. I want to thank my teammates, coach and medical staff," the 25-year-old said.
"It's very important for me because the whole season I've felt so bad. This medal gives me a boost of confidence."
His tactics to avoid crashes had been as successful as it was simple.
"I was very tired so I just waited in the back," Galiakhmetov said.
Korea dominate relay from gun to tape
In the Men's 5000m Relay, Republic of Korea led the race more or less from start to finish. Runners-up Japan made several attempts to push past Jang, Park, Kim Gun Woo and Kim Tae Sung but had to settle for second place as Hungary took the bronze.
Republic of Korea won the Men's 5000m relay, leading from start to finish to triumph ahead of Japan and Hungary. @ISU
"I've missed winning the relay so much and now I could finally do it with my teammates," Park said after crossing the finish line in first place to celebrate with the many Korean fans in the arena.
"My body was so stiff but I couldn't stop and then there was no-one in front of me."
For full results, entry lists and further information about the 2023/24 ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating, please visit webpage here.
Where to watch
Viewers will be able to watch the Saturday and Sunday afternoon (local time) ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating sessions via their national broadcaster/channel.
For countries where there are no broadcasters and for the qualification and repechage races, the ISU will offer a live stream on the Skating ISU YouTube Channel. You will find the full list on the Where to watch webpage here.
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