Hanne Desmet secured a single bronze medal at the World Tour short-track speed skating event in Montréal, falling short of finals berths in both the 500-meter and 1,500-meter events. The 30-year-old Belgian skater finished third in the 1,000-meter final on Saturday, November 1, 2026, following a silver medal performance the previous weekend in Vancouver. This podium finish marked her second ereprijs of the season. The competition took place in the Maurice Richard Arena, a venue named after the French-speaking ice hockey legend, which the Belgian team knows well from years of training there as sparring partners for Canadian skaters.
Penalty on the 1,500-Meter Course
During the 1,500-meter semifinal race, Desmet moved off her skating line in a manner deemed irregular by race officials, resulting in interference with American competitor Kristen Santos-Griswold. The infraction drew Desmet her second penalty of the season. Under current regulations for this skating year, a third penalty leads to a one-race suspension on the skater’s primary distance.
The penalty eliminated Desmet from advancing toward the 1,500-meter medal round. Italy’s Elisa Confortola ultimately won the discipline. In the 500-meter event, Desmet exited in the quarterfinals after finishing behind Polish skater Nikola Mazur and Canadian host competitor Florence Brunelle. Desmet’s time in that heat was insufficient to advance, and no other Belgian skater reached the main tournament in individual events, though Tineke den Dulk narrowly missed qualification on the 500-meter distance after a struggle in the repechage.
Tactical Progress in the 1,000-Meter Final
Desmet qualified for the 1,000-meter medal round only after judges reviewed a tight finish photo. In the final race, Desmet skated near the back of the pack for much of the distance before executing an inside pass during the final turn to claim third place. South Korea’s Minjeong Choi and Canada’s Courtney Sarault finished ahead to take the top two steps of the podium. Earlier in the 1,000-meter quarterfinals, Desmet faced stiff competition, including Sarault, but both advanced through a mutual non-aggression pact.
Relay Squads Secure Seventh Place in B-Final
The Belgian relay team—consisting of Desmet, Tineke den Dulk, Adriaan Dewagtere, and Ward Pétré—finished third in the B-final behind South Korea and Poland while defeating Japan, resulting in a seventh-place overall ranking for the squad. The team had reached the B-final after placing fourth in their semifinal, where a fall by Dewagtere following the final exchange dashed hopes for the A-final. However, without the rehabilitating Stijn Desmet, the squad struggled to match the pace of top nations.
Ongoing Questions for the Belgian Squad
While Desmet remains a consistent contender, the absence of Stijn Desmet continues to impact the mixed relay team’s ability to reach the A-finals, as the remaining men lack a decisive finishing kick. With Desmet now sitting on two penalties for the season, it remains unknown how her tactical approach will shift to avoid the third infraction that would trigger a competition suspension. Furthermore, it is not yet clear if the federation can identify additional support to bolster the relay lineups before the next World Tour stop.
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