Men
CAN
William DANDJINOU
CAN- Date of birth01 Oct 2001
- Height1910 CM
- ProfessionAthlete, Student
- Home townQuebec
- Place of birthSherbrooke
- Start skating / Club He took up the sport at about age six. His first skating club was CPV Montreal St-Michel in Quebec, Canada, before he moved on to train at the nearby Laval Regional Short Track Centre [CRCP]. / Centre National Courte Piste: Montreal, QC, CAN
- HobbiesCycling, basketball, reading, playing chess. (speedskating.ca, 01 Jan 2022)
- languagesEnglish, French
- General Interest
- Sport Specific Information
He was named Male Short Track Athlete of the Year for 2019/20 by the Quebec Speed Skating Federation [FPVQ] in Canada. (fpvq.org, 29 Dec 2020)
"It is a sport which is very tactical and competitive. You have to be able to challenge yourself to beat the opponents who are all around you on the track." (alliancesportetudes.ca, 07 Dec 2020)
Canadian speed skater and short track skater Olivier Jean. (speedskating.ca, 01 Jan 2022)
Canadian speed skater and short track skater Olivier Jean. "He went to college and had a great career both in skating and in school. We call each other often and he gives me advice. He's almost a mentor to me." (alliancesportetudes.ca, 07 Dec 2020)
Making his World Cup debut during the 2019/20 season, and winning three gold and two silver medals at the 2019 Canada Winter Games in Red Deer, Alberta. (alliancesportetudes.ca, 07 Dec 2020)
HEIGHT
At more than 190 centimetres tall, he says he does not see his height as a disadvantage in short track. "My big advantage - and that I learned to do so at a young age - is that I skate low for my height. Being tall is only a disadvantage if you don't use your leg length. Since I skate low, sometimes lower than people who are actually shorter than me, it allows me to add a lot of range of motion." (lapresse.ca, 10 Jan 2020)
OLYMPIC ALTERNATE
He was named as an alternate for Canada at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (cbc.ca, 14 Oct 2022; olympic.ca, 01 Mar 2022)
At more than 190 centimetres tall, he says he does not see his height as a disadvantage in short track. "My big advantage - and that I learned to do so at a young age - is that I skate low for my height. Being tall is only a disadvantage if you don't use your leg length. Since I skate low, sometimes lower than people who are actually shorter than me, it allows me to add a lot of range of motion." (lapresse.ca, 10 Jan 2020)
OLYMPIC ALTERNATE
He was named as an alternate for Canada at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (cbc.ca, 14 Oct 2022; olympic.ca, 01 Mar 2022)
He trains at the Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal, QC, Canada, with one session in the morning and one in the afternoon. He has one full day off and one afternoon off per week.
"I wanted to go far in the sport because I liked it. Things started coming together when I was training at Laval Regional Short Track Centre. At that point, I really started to see that I had the potential to go further."
Sebastien Cros [national], FRA
