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Canadian short-track speedskater Cedrik Blais wins World Cup silver

DORDRECHT, Netherlands — Canadian short-track speedskater Cedrik Blais won his first career World Cup silver medal Saturday with a time of one minute 33.739 seconds in the men's 1,000 metres.

Blais, from Chateauguay, Que., originally finished third at the Optisport Sportboulevard Dordrecht facility. He was upgraded to second when South Korea's Park In Wook was penalized for a push from behind to Dutch skater Itzhak de Laat, who was third in 1:54.183.

"I'm obviously very happy," Blais said. "My season didn't start off the way I had hoped. I hadn't qualified for any A-Finals, but this is my second one since last weekend. I managed to reach the second step of the podium today, which makes me quite happy."

South Korea's Kim Dagyeom (1:33.056) won gold. Jordan Pierre-Gilles of Sherbrooke, Que., was fourth in 2:07.998.

Blais, 23, won two bronze medals in the 500 metres last season. His previous best in the 1,000 was an eighth-place result last February in Turin, Italy.

Steven Dubois of Lachenaie, Que., was fifth in the men's 1,500 and Courtney Sarault of Moncton, N.B., was seventh in the women's 1,500. The Canadian men's and women's relay teams qualified for Sunday's finals.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2020.

The Canadian Press

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