Fresh faces smile on podium
vancouversun.com
Mon 27 Oct 2008
Section: Sports
Byline: Gary Kingston
Source: Vancouver Sun

Much like the feel he has for the dirty, frayed, well-worn ball cap he was sporting, Michael Gilday found a nice comfort level at the Pacific Coliseum on Sunday.

And he wasn't alone.

Sixteen months before he hopes to return for the 2010 Olympics, the 22-year- old short track speed skater from Yellowknife was one of three fresh-faced Canadians to post their first ever World Cup podium finishes.

The results came on the final day of the Samsung ISU World Cup before a noisy, appreciative crowd of nearly 5,000 at the pre-Olympic test event at the spruced-up old rink on Renfrew St.

Gilday captured silver in the men's 1000 metres behind Lee Jung-Su of Korea and just ahead of countryman Remi Beaulieu, a 23-year-old from Alma, Que., who, like Gilday, was in his first A final.

A beaming Marianne St.-Gelais, 18, of St.-Felicien, Que., also made her first A final a memorable one, finishing second to Chinese star Wang Meng in the women's 500 metres.

Gilday, who laughed about "making it worth it" for the four family members in the stands from from Yellowknife, said it was "awesome" and a good omen to get his first World Cup podium on the Olympic venue.

"It gives you a lot of confidence moving forward," said the personable skater. "We're really comfortable in this facility. This is the home-ice advantage we were talking about. Having this event here makes all the difference. Having the training camps and the selection camp here helped us be comfortable at home here."

After the Hamelin brothers, veterans Charles and Francois, won gold and bronze in a men's 1,000-metre race Saturday, Canada collected six more medals Sunday. Francois-Louis Tremblay of Montreal was second behind Lee Ho-Suk of South Korea in the men's 500, the men's team earned silver in the 5,000-metre relay and the women claimed bronze in the 3,000-metre relay.

"I definitely think it means we're moving in the right direction," said Gilday, whose breakthrough was particularly satisfying after he was disqualified in Saturday's 1,500 metre semifinal for impeding on a bold pass attempt.

"Today, when things clicked, we showed we can be the best in the world and we aren't too far off from where we want to be."

To buttress that assertion, it was an aggressive pass of U.S. star Apolo Anton Ohno that moved Gilday and Beaulieu into the medal positions in the 1,000. Gilday also raced a tremendous semifinal, getting passed for second on the last lap by J.R. Celeski of the U.S. - only the top two advanced - before coming back to outstretch the American at the finish line by about an inch.

"Winning a medal is great, but that was probably the best moment I had today because I'd never been in an A final and I really set an A final as one of my goals for these first two World Cups."

St.-Gelais got the opportunity to race in Vancouver and in the season- opening World Cup the previous weekend in Salt Lake City because of hip flexor injuries to veterans Kalyana Roberge, Tania Vicent and Amanda Overland. Roberge and Vicent will return for next month's two World Cups in Asia, forcing St.- Gelais to sit out.

But the powerful young skater appears to have a bright future.

"I'm extremely excited and extremely proud," St.-Gelais said through a translator. "I know I am able to top the podium in the 500 metres, but I was really surprised at what I was able to do this weekend."

ICE CHIPS: South Korea, which had a huge cheering section in the Coliseum, led the weekend medal count with 10, including four gold. China also won four gold and six overall medals . . . Ohno, who calls Seattle home, failed to win an individual medal, but was part of the U.S.'s gold medal winning relay team.