Silver in short track; women’s hockey rivalry reignites at Milan Cortina Games

By Canadian Press on February 10, 2026.

MILAN — Canada picked up its first silver medal of the Milan Cortina Olympics on Tuesday with a silver in the short-track speedskating mixed team relay.

William Dandjinou, Kim Boutin, Félix Roussel and Courtney Sarault finished in two minutes 39.258 seconds, behind host Italy and ahead of Belgium, to give Canada a silver and two bronze at the Games.

Also Tuesday, Canadian star Mikael Kingsbury and teammate Julien Viel easily advanced to the freeski men’s moguls final, and the women’s hockey team prepared to take on archrival United States in the preliminary round on Day 4 of the Games.

The mixed short-track skaters, led by breakout star Dandjinou, entered the Games as the reigning world champions and the favourite for gold. But silver was still a bit of redemption after Canada was disqualified in the mixed relay final at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Boutin and Sarault were on that 2022 team.

It’s the first Olympic medal for Dandjinou, who won three gold medals and a silver at the 2025 short-track world championships, and fifth for Boutin.

Dandjinou, Roussel and fellow Canadians Steven Dubois will also compete in the men’s 1,000-metre heats. Meanwhile, Boutin, Sarault and Florence Brunelle will skate in the women’s 500-metre heats.

The defending champion Canadian women’s hockey team will face its first major test of the Games against the U.S. It’s the first Olympic meeting between the rivals since Canada defeated its neighbours south of the border in the 2022 gold-medal final in Beijing.

Canada captain Marie-Philip Poulin is questionable to play after she was injured in Canada’s 5-1 win over Czechia on Monday.

Kingsbury, a four-time Olympian and the most decorated freestyle skier of all time with 100 World Cup wins, qualified for the moguls final by finishing third in the preliminary round, behind world champion Ikuma Horishima of Japan and Viel.

The 33-year-old Kingsbury, one of Canada’s opening ceremony flag-bearers, won silver, gold and silver at the 2014, 2018 and 2022 Games, respectively.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2026.

The Canadian Press