First came the roar of delight, arms outstretched, index fingers raised to the sky. Then came the tears as the reality sunk in for Courtney Sarault: she had just won the ISU Crystal Globe. 

The Canadian Ice Maple faced the biggest of challenges en route to the top of her sport, and in front of a capacity crowd in Dordrecht, Netherlands on Sunday she proved she is a true champion. 

“Everything, all the emotions, just came to the surface,” Sarault said, after winning the women’s 500m and taking silver in the 1500m to claim the most significant trophy of her career. 

“I proved to myself that I can do it under pressure. I can do it when things don’t feel 100 per cent, when things aren’t perfect. And I think that’s really special, and something I’m going to take along with me to the Olympic Games.”

Canadian Ice Maple Courtney Sarault took 1500m silver on Sunday behind Kim Gilli (KOR) in Dordrecht. © ISU

On a day in which the Canadian Ice Maples underlined their Short Track excellence by claiming all three Crystal Globe titles, Florence Brunelle summed up just what the new women’s champion means to the sport. 

“She’s incredible. I think she’s the definition of skating with passion and with heart and with love,” Brunelle said. “Having someone like that by my side every day truly inspires me to keep pushing and keep trying to be the best version of myself.” 

Sarault has her ‘bumblebee moment’

Sarault achieved her dream in some style, too. At the start of the day, she knew nearest rival Corinne Stoddard had a chance to spoil the party. Two top performances from the USA Eagle, combined with some untimely falls, could have opened the door to devastation. But Sarault was in no mood for that. 

First, she had the 1500m, where she faced Stoddard in a stacked semifinal. Sarault stepped on it from the front to ensure smooth progress and, for a while, it looked like rinse-and-repeat in the final as Sarault swung past Stoddard with six laps to go. But as Stoddard fell to the ice in a mix up with reigning 1000m world champion Hanne Desmet (BEL) and home hero Xandra Velzeboer (NED), Korean White Tiger Kim Gilli slipped through on the inside of Sarault to snatch victory. Kim’s teammate Choi Min Jeong took bronze. 

Kim Gilli of the Korean White Tigers celebrates her 1500m victory ahead of Courtney Sarault and White Tigers teammate Choi Minjeong. © ISU

While long-distance silver for Sarault just about secured the Globe, the Canadian was far from done. She had her eyes on yet more history. 

“I was always told that I wasn’t a 500-metre girl, I was an endurance girl. I felt like I was put in a box and this just proves that you don’t have to listen to whatever people say,” Sarault said, after producing arguably the performance of the season to win her first-ever sprint gold. 

In a final the champion labelled “totally crazy”, Sarault took the fight to the seemingly invincible Velzeboer from the gun. Three golds from three previous World Tour 500m finals this season was indicative of the reputation the Dutch Lion has built in her favourite distance. But even Velzeboer could not stay with the flying Canadian. Sarault seized the lead with two laps to go and refused to relinquish it. In a mad dash for the line, Stoddard took silver, with Brunelle grabbing bronze. Velzeboer slipped to fourth. 

Canadian Ice Maple Florence Brunelle took third in the 500m on Sunday at the final ISU Short Track World Tour event of the season. © ISU

“I kind of just had a bumblebee moment today, and I kind of didn’t care what anyone said,” Sarault said. “I just believed in myself and did what I wanted to do. It’s why I have the bumblebee on my skates, too. Bumblebees shouldn’t be able to fly because their wings are technically too small, (but) it doesn’t know that. It was never told that. So, it flies anyway. And that’s kind of what I feel.

“I guess I just want to be a spokesperson for people that maybe think that they can’t do something or are told they can’t do something. I’m living proof that it doesn’t matter what people think. If you want it, work for it, and you’ll achieve it.” 

Stoddard targets Olympic gold 

Five World Tour gold medals this season set up Sarault as the woman to beat at February’s Olympic Winter Games. But her rivals aren’t throwing in the towel just yet. 

“It was really exciting (battling Sarault for the Globe),” said Stoddard, who ended up 150 points behind her rival. “I knew I had to do something crazy this weekend and that didn’t happen, but Courtney has been so strong and dominant this World Tour season and she definitely deserves it. Hopefully I will finally get my gold at the Olympics.” 

Corinne Stoddard of the USA Eagles finished second in the race for the ISU Crystal Globe this season. © ISU

To do that, she likely will have to get the better of the most successful Short Track nation of all-time: South Korea. 

“Korea is always strong at the Olympics,” Kim Gilli said with a smile. “I always feel confident, but I am not perfect. I will try my best and train harder. As soon as we go back to Korea, we will get back to training for the Olympics.”

Olympic dreams fulfilled

The Olympic Games were on the minds of many in the Optisport Sportboulevard on Sunday, with a final opportunity to grab priceless quota places for the looming Olympic Games. For some, that meant a culmination of years of dedication. 

“Maths is not my strong point, but I am 99 per cent sure it’s enough,” Belgian Ice Bear Tineke Den Dulk said after placing 19th in the 1500m to potentially clinch her first Olympic ticket after a decade of trying. 

The final list of qualifiers will be released in the coming days, but Den Dulk’s coach is confident her result should secure enough points to grab an individual women’s 1500m spot for Belgium. 

“When you are on the cusp, every race matters and every mistake can be the end — not to be super dramatic,” Den Dulk said. “Last weekend in Poland, I did not deal well with that stress, but this weekend I got a grip and adjusted my thinking a little.” 

Tineke Den Dulk believes she did enough in Dordrecht to earn a spot for Belgium at the Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina. © ISU

The added sideline for the 28-year-old was that Belgium’s participation in the Mixed Relay at Milano Cortina depended on her securing an extra individual spot for the nation. 

“I was vital, which made me extra nervous,” Den Dulk laughed. “Everybody was like, ‘Just f***ing go, skate your ass off’. Afterwards, I was in the changing room and Hanne and Stijn (Desmet) and were chanting my name, ‘Tin-eke, Tin-eke’.” 

It was a memorable way to finish a spectacular World Tour season.