SOCHI, Russia — Red Deer’s Gabrielle Waddell won a pair of medals in a Samsung ISU World Cup short track speed skating event during the weekend.
Waddell captured her first career individual medal with a bronze in the 500-metre race — posting a time of 58.661 seconds — then helped the women’s relay team claim a silver. The Red Deer skater finished third in the 500m event despite a fall and due also to a fall by Dutch skater Jorien Ter Mors.
“It feels pretty surreal right now. I didn’t really dream about my first World Cup medal being that I fall and then by chance that someone else falls,” said Waddell. “I deserved to be in that A final. I worked my way there.
“It’s the 500, it’s short track and anything can happen. I’m really happy. It’s pretty exciting.”
In the women’s relay finals, Canada finished in third place behind gold medallist China and Korea, but the Korean squad was penalized. Canada moved up to take the silver medal and Italy was awarded the bronze.
Drolet, Hewitt, Maltais and St. Gelais skated for Canada in the final. Waddell also earned her first relay medal, as she skated in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, Canada’s Charles Hamelin won gold in each of the men’s 500m and 1,000m races.