Montreal speedskater Laoun finishes second in World Tour’s men’s 500-metre final

VANCOUVER — Jens Van’t Wout of the Netherlands just clipped Maxime Laoun of Montreal to the finish line to win the men’s 500-metre A final at the ISU Short Track World Tour opener in Vancouver on Saturday night.

Van’t Wout was clocked at 40.560, while Laoun posted a time of 40.725 at the Pacific Coliseum.

Furkan Akar of Turkey finished third at 41.334, while five-time Olympic medallist and six-time world champion Steven Dubois of Laval, Que., finished a disappointing fourth at 54.389. Dubois is the reigning world champion in the 500 m event, winning gold at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympic Games.

Mathieu Pelletier of Laval, Que., finished third in the men’s 500-metre B final, in 41.262. Jongun Rim of Seoul, South Korea, posted the winning time of 40.887, while Kay Huisman of the Netherlands was second at 41.129.