Canada's Kim Boutin strikes 500m gold for her 1st short track individual world title

Speed skater Kim Boutin raced to her first world championship gold medal in the women's 500-metre event at the ISU world short track championships in Rotterdamn, Netherlands, on Saturday.

The Sherbrooke, Que., native led the five-athlete final from start to finish, clocking 42.626 seconds for the victory.

Xandra Velzeboer of the Netherlands, the two-time defending champion in the event, took silver in 42.833 and Kristen Santos-Griswold of the United States claimed bronze in 42.929.

Velzeboer edged Boutin in the 2022 world championships in Montreal, which was the only other 500 medal the 29-year-old Boutin has received at the worlds.

The well-decorated Boutin had earned six silver medals and seven bronze across four world appearances before this year, but had not won that elusive gold in any event before her victory Saturday.

She has also won two Olympic bronze in the 500 at both the 2018 Pyeongchang Games in South Korea and 2022 Beijing Games, as well as a silver in the 1,000mand bronze in the 1,500 in 2018.

WATCH | Boutin captures 500m gold in Rotterdam, Netherlands:

Jordan Pierre-Gilles took bronze in unusual fashion in the men's 500 after wiping out simultaneously with countrymate Steven Dubois just before the final lap.

Lin Xiaojun of China (41.592) and Denis Nikisha of Kazakhstan (41.676) raced to gold and silver, respectively, undeterred, but a last-lap crash by Italy's Pietro Sighel opened the door back up for the Sherbrooke, Que., native to earn third-place in 52.289, with Dubois following in fourth (55.412).

The event caps a banner season for Canada in the 500 after Pierre-Gilles and Dubois went 1-2 in the World Cup standings, just ahead of teammate Felix Roussel, who was scratched for this weekend after