Canadian Ice Maple Courtney Sarault won gold in the opening 1000m race of the ISU Short Track World Tour in Montreal © ISU

During 2024, Courtney Sarault of the Canadian Ice Maples hit physical and mental rock bottom. Plagued by health difficulties and anxieties, she admits that: “a concern for me was, will I ever be good again?”

Green shoots emerged at the end of the year – she won a gold medal at the World Tour event in Tilburg – but whether she could compete consistently among an ever-improving women’s field was in doubt. 

Her performance on the opening day of the 2025/26 ISU Short Track World Tour in Montreal on Saturday, then, was the stuff of sporting redemption. 

Sarault won the 1000m with a world-class performance, in a field stacked with talent, to show she is a front-runner for the ISU Crystal Globe this time around.

The Korean White Tigers, meanwhile, demonstrated their prowess in winning the 3000m Relay.

Sarault: 'I’d be lying if I said the Globe wasn’t tingling in the back of my mind’

The 1000m final was fascinating. It included Hanne Desmet of the Belgian Ice Bears, the world champion in the distance; Xandra Velzeboer of the Dutch Lions, increasingly powerful in this race; the 2023/24 ISU Crystal Globe winner Kim Gilli of the Korean White Tigers; and the ever-improving Corinne Stoddard of the USA Eagles, who finished third overall last season. 

Stoddard led from the gun, looking solid, as Desmet and Velzeboer tracked her. Sarault slid into second place mid-race, however, and looked poised for the killer move. She attempted it at the same time as Velzeboer, with two laps to go. Stoddard was able to hold them off, but the American’s energy was sapped by the final lap. Sarault thundered through with a late inside pass and held on for the line. 

Kim ghosted through the mayhem to take second place, while Stoddard slipped to third.

Courtney Sarault (CAN) and Corinne Stoddard (USA) battle for position in the 1000m final in Montreal on Saturday © ISU

“I feel really good. I wanted to show what I’ve got, and what I did all summer,” said Sarault. 

“I felt physically well, mentally well. I was back in my fighting spirit and in the last two laps I was always going to try and pass. I’m really excited to start this competition and season strong. Normally, I do a slow build.”

Sarault acknowledged that her difficulties have made her stronger. 

“I’m just really grateful for everything now,” she said. “You grow through what you go through. I feel like I’m in the best form I’ve ever been. I feel like I’ve had that mental component added to it. When you get through a struggle, you realise how tough you really are. Nothing is deserved, but I owed it to myself to give myself that chance.

“If I could go back and talk to myself a year ago, I’d reassure her that it will be OK in the end. Sometimes when you’re in that headspace you don’t know how to get out of it. I was chasing a past version of myself. I decided to look forward, get out of it eventually. I wish I could go back and tell her not to worry.”

With a doubleheader in Montreal constituting 50 per cent of the race for the ISU Crystal Globe, Sarault knows she is in a fine position to make a bid for the prize. 

“I’d be lying if the Globe wasn’t something tingling in the back of my mind,” said Sarault. “But every race I have to keep performing. Nothing is given in Short Track. I just need to make sure the mishaps happen as little as possible, but I’m going to go for it. With the Crystal Globe or without it, though, I’ll be proud of myself.”

Stoddard and Kim show their class and Poutsma returns 

Stoddard was left cursing her tactics in the 1000m, despite a strong showing so far this week. 

“I was going really well. I thought I had it, but I think it was a little too much to lead every round,” she said. 

Corinne Stoddard (USA) keeps an eye on Courtney Sarault (CAN) during  Saturday's 1000m final in Montreal © ISU

“I led the whole quarterfinal, the whole semi, the whole final. I didn’t have that one last lap in me. It’s a little disappointing and I think I’ll maybe need to change my strategy. I used too much energy in the early rounds, and got too excited in the final. It was a tactical error. Once you get to the A final, it’s really hard to beat these girls, especially if you go out on the front.”

The American Eagle, however, is feeling like she now belongs at the top of the table. 

“I know I’m strong enough to win, especially with how I skated today. I can see a gold in my future.”

Kim was also content. 

“It’s my first medal of the season, so I’m am happy,” she said. “I feel good for the season ahead. It was a good summer of training. We did some training in Calgary where the ice is really good, so I enjoyed that.”

Kim Gilli led Korea to a gold medal in the 3000m Relay after finishing second in the 1000m final in Montreal earlier on Saturday. © ISU

Kim also led the Korean White Tigers to victory in the 3000m Relay. 

“Korea is strong,” she said.

The Dutch Lions were second in the relay and the Canadian Ice Maples third – and the Lions could also toast a fine comeback on their squad, from Selma Poutsma.

The 500m specialist had been pushing Velzeboer for wins in the sprint over recent years, but injury halted her progress. 

In Montreal, she was hitting top velocity again. 

“It’s really nice to be back on track, to be in the A final with the girls, getting a medal, fighting for gold,” said Poutsma.

“Last year was difficult. I didn’t do any races, I wasn’t training, I watched from the sides. But now I’ve done a complete summer of training, I’m closer to the level I was before. I have a long way to go, but I’m happy to be here. I’ll take it race by race, but I want to get back to my level of A finals later in the season.” 

Racing continues on Sunday in Montreal with the women’s 500m and 1500m finals, and the Mixed Relay.