Chaotic race results in penalty as Canada misses podium in mixed short track relay

There was no shortage of drama in speed skating on Saturday.

Canada was disqualified in the final round of the mixed short track relay at the Beijing Winter Games after a collision between a Canadian and Hungarian racer resulted in a chaotic end at Capital Indoor Stadium.

At the 1:40.8 mark of the race, Florence Brunelle of Team Canada collided with Petra Jaszapati of Team Hungary, causing the two to fall and slide over to the boards. Both teams recovered and completed the race, with the Canadians claiming third place behind China and Italy.

A video review following the race determined that Brunelle pushed Jaszapati from behind, and was assessed a penalty and disqualified. Hungary was awarded the bronze medal.

“It was an exciting race, but we’re very disappointed about the result, for sure,” said Team Canada racer Jordan Pierre-Giles. “But those things happen, and they happen in short track.”

This was the first time the mixed short track relay event took place on the Olympic stage, with home-team China winning the competition’s first-ever gold medal and its first gold of these Winter Games.

The final was filled with controversy before it even started. China originally didn't qualify to the final round, finishing behind Team USA and the Russian Olympic Committee. But the race later was put under review, with the U.S. and Russia being disqualified for twice impeding the Chinese skaters. The lengthy review was heavily criticized for favouring the home team.

The race for the podium also got off to a rough start. Officials called for a restart after Brunelle collided with an Italian racer in the early going.

“When there is contact in an Olympic final, for sure they are going to penalize for that,” Pierre-Giles added. “We are disappointed about the result, but we have to move on and there are plenty of races to go, so we have to refocus.”

Brunelle, Kim Boutin and Alyson Charles qualified for the quarterfinals of the individual women’s 500-metres, while Pierre-Giles and Pascal Dion have advanced in the men’s 1,000 metres.

A bronze medal would have given Canada a total of three in these Olympics so far, having claimed the silver medal in freestyle skiing moguls and the bronze in the women’s 3,000-metre speed skating.

The mixed relay is a 2,000-metre race that covers 18 laps, and was first introduced at the short-track world cup in 2018-2019 season.

The chaotic finish will certainly add to its lore.

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