Canada’s Kim Boutin has won bronze in the 500-metre short track speed skating event at the Pyeongchang Olympics.
She won with a time of 43.881 seconds, which put her in fourth. But the athlete from Sherbrooke, Que., was bumped up to third after South Korea’s Minjeong Choi was disqualified.
Arianna Fontana of Italy won gold in 42.569 seconds while Yara van Kerkhof was second in 43.256.
Britain’s Elise Christie crashed out of the five-woman final.
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The medal capped what started out as a disappointing day for the Canadian team.
Veteran racer Marianne St-Gelais, competing in her final Games, failed to make it out of the quarterfinals after receiving a penalty for impeding. St-Gelais made contact with Yara Van Kerkhof of the Netherlands while jockeying for position.
The Canadian was also penalized for a false start, which came as a suprise to her.
“It’s disappointing for sure because I don’t think I deserve this call,” St-Gelais said. “But short track is short track, so sometimes you have to deal with what is happening. I’m not happy with the decision. I don’t think I deserved it.”
The 27-year-old from Saint-Felicien, Que., was a medal threat for the Canadians after winning silver in the distance at last year’s world championships. St-Gelais also took silver in the 500 during the 2010 Vancouver Games.
She will compete in the 3,000 metres on Feb. 20 with fellow Canadians Boutin, Jamie MacDonald and Kasandra Bradette.
“I have to focus on the other (races) if I want to make it count,” said St-Gelais. “We still have the relay. I’m lucky I got to race the three distances, so I have another chance.”
–With files from the Canadian Press
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