Charles Hamelin of Sainte-Julie, Que., has won the overall title at the world short track speed skating championship in Montreal.
Hamelin won his second gold medal of the three-day meet when he took the 1,000-metre race, then did well enough in the 3,000 to conserve his lead in the overall standings.
The 33-year-old became the first Canadian to take the overall title since Marc Gagnon of Chicoutimi, Que., in 1998.
After placing fourth in the 3,000, which is run mainly for overall title points, he finished well ahead of Shaolin Sandor Liu of Hungary for the title.
Hamelin had won the 1,500 event on Saturday.
Hamelin and Olympic 1,000 champion Samuel Girard of Ferland-et-Boileau, Que. both reached the 1,000 final, but Girard was disqualified for a bump that saw Hamelin’s closest competitor Hwang Dae Heon of South Korea crash into the wall. Hamelin cruised in just ahead of Lim Hyo Jun of South Korea with Sjinkie Knegt of the Netherlands third.
The winner of five career Olympic medals announced this week he has scrapped plans to retire and will race for at least one more year.
Shim Suk Hee of South Korea won the women’s 1,000 ahead of Sofia Prosvirnova of Russia and Li Jinyu of China. Choi Min Jeong of South Korea, who had won the 500 and 1,500 events on Saturday, was fourth in the final.
Marianne St-Gelais of St-Felicien, Que., and Kim Boutin of Sherbrooke, Que. were eliminated in the semifinals, while Jamie MacDonald of Fort St. James, B.C. was disqualified in her quarter-final.
