William Dandjinou of the Canadian Ice Maples capped an exemplary season on Saturday, winning the 1000m and placing second in the 500m in front of a wild crowd at the Optisport Sportboulevard in Dordrecht, Netherlands.

It means he will retain the ISU Crystal Globe he lifted for the first time last season. 

Dandjinou has been ruthless on the ISU Short Track World Tour this winter and will head to the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games with his target of three individual and two relay gold medals a real possibility.

The Quebec phenomenon has always emphasized teamwork, and in Dordrecht, the happiest Canadian of the day was Felix Roussel. He took 1500m silver to deliver on the hype he has been receiving from his squad since the summer.

Meanwhile, Andrew Heo of the USA Eagles earned his first World Tour gold, prevailing in the 500m, while Hungary’s men celebrated more than anyone else in the arena, as they did enough to send their squad to the Olympic Games.

Dandjinou takes 1500m in style 

In the 1500m, Jens van ’t Wout of the Dutch Lions led mid-race, but Dandjinou made a smooth inside pass with four laps to go. The Dutch Lion struck back and the pair tussled, but when Van ’t Wout lost speed, Dandjinou cruised to the front and took gold.

Roussel took advantage of the jostling to pass Van ’t Wout and take second. Sun Long of the Chinese Loongs powered through for third.

Dandjinou’s 100 points put him out of reach for the ISU Crystal Globe. 

“Of course I feel a little bit of relief,” he said afterwards. “Overall, I’m happy with the way I raced more than the result. The plan was to try new stuff. I’m satisfied with the way I threaded the needle.”

Canadian Ice Maple William Dandjinou (centre) skates ahead of teammate Felix Roussel and Sun Long (CHN) in the 1500m Saturday in Dordrecht. © ISU

Dandjinou is a huge Short Track fan himself, and he enjoyed a day in which Olympic dreams were made and several of his friends clinched places.

“A special shout out to the Belgium team, who we trained with for two years,” he said. “My roommates were Belgian, so seeing them being able to qualify for the Games is awesome. But I’ll give a shout out to everyone. Just to be present and show up at these events is hard.”

Four years ago, the Canadian experienced heartache himself as he missed out on qualifying for Beijing 2022. He had a message for those going through the mill tonight.

“Just keep going. We talk about Short Track being an unpredictable sport, but skaters come and go, and if you stay consistent, you will eventually have your turn. I am blessed to be in a situation where I feel like it’s my turn, but I have to appreciate this moment, because it won’t always be like that. So just keep pushing.” 

While Dandjinou was zen, his fellow Sherbrooke, Quebec racer Roussel shed tears of joy. He had anticipated great things this winter after performing brilliantly at the Canadian trials, but it had taken until today to come together.

“There are a lot of emotions,” he said.  “If you go back to national selections, I was fighting hard with Will, so I had expectations for the season. I wouldn’t say that I deserved better, but I knew I could do better. I lost some confidence. Knowing this was the last World Tour before the Games, (I wanted) to get a bit of confidence back.”

Felix Roussel celebrates his one-two finish with teammate William Dandjinou in the 1500m Saturday in Dordrecht. © ISU

It also meant a lot to share the podium with Dandjinou.

“In Montreal, at the second World Tour, I finished second behind Will, and I got a yellow card. I lost that special moment with him, so to finally get it here is amazing. I saw Will and Jens fighting, so I thought I’d try to take an opportunity. On the final lap I didn’t want to risk something with a teammate – it’s more about the friendship. We train so hard together, so to be on top of the world together, after all these years, it’s special.”

Finding fun on the ice has been key to Roussel's resurgence. 

“I put pressure on myself, so I went back to the basics,” he said. “Don’t focus on the results, have fun and follow the instinct. I’ll stick with that now. I don’t skate to win, I skate to have fun. If I don’t do that, I don’t get results.”

Heo takes debut gold in 500m

The 500m saw a stacked field and a battle between Van ’t Wout and Dandjinou. The Dutch Lion led from the first corner, and Pietro Sighel of the Italian Gladiators fell on the second.

Dandjinou stalked Van ’t Wout, but then the Canadian stumbled on the straight. Incredibly, the Dutch Lion also then made an unforced error.

It allowed Steven Dubois of the Canadian Ice Maples to cross the line first, but he was penalized, giving Heo the glory. Dandjinou recovered for second, while Felix Pigeon of the Polish Hussars glided through for third, his debut World Tour podium. 

“Starting from sixth, I just tried to get in a good position, because I knew they were going to fight,” said Heo. “I was trying to take advantage, and I was able to execute. It’s my first medal, and for it to be gold is amazing, and it’s good momentum going into the Games. They’re stepping stones – lots of little wins, and this is a big win.”

Andrew Heo (USA) reacts to his first podium finish at an ISU World Tour event, gold in the 500m Saturday in Dordrecht. © ISU

Heo credits his improvement to a new mental approach. 

“I’ve been trying to find a love for the sport, to find the joy in it. It had felt like a chore. For the past years, I’ve found the love for the journey, not the results. I like seeing all the hard work I’ve put in showing up in the results.” 

Pigeon was also thrilled. 

“I don’t know how to describe this,” he said. “I only skated one 500 last season. I was working all summer to improve. I’m really happy. I feel like I’m making progress. I’m still making tactical mistakes, but I can improve a lot.” 

William Dandjinou (left) shared the 500m podium with two first-timers on Saturday: gold medalist Andrew Heo and silver medalist Felix Piegon (POL). © ISU

Will he consider doing a pigeon-style celebration, in tribute to the Dandjinou eagle? 

“I’m not sure how that would look. I will have to think about it if I get on the podium again. They’re not an aggressive-looking animal.”

Hungarians book Olympic ticket

While individual medals were enjoyed, nobody celebrated harder on Saturday than Hungary’s relay team. A second-place finish in the semifinals ensured them of enough points to make the Olympic Winter Games.

“I don’t know how I feel right now, it is amazing,” said Peter Jaszapati. “We had some luck with the Canadians crashing, but that is a part of racing. We have put a lot into this. Last year we were in the top 12 to go to the World Champs, but half of the team was injured, and we didn’t go. So to be there one year later is just amazing, One of my teammates didn’t skate for three, four months at the end of last season and now we are here.”

Further Olympic dreams will be made – and the ISU Crystal Globes will be awarded – on Sunday at the Optisport Sportboulevard.