Canadian speed skaters look to build off nationals as short track World Cup begins

Olympic speed skater Courtney Sarault was filled with doubt ahead of the Canadian short-track national championships at the end of September.

"I went in struggling a little bit mentally," she said. "And at the start of the season I'm not normally my strongest.

"There were a lot of doubts and I was not the good, confident Courtney that I normally am."

After proving to herself she could win under those circumstances, the 23-year-old from Moncton, N.B., is hoping to carry that momentum as the International Skating Union World Cup short-track season kicks off.

Sarault is one of 12 Canadian skaters taking the ice in Montreal as 33 countries and 184 athletes get set for the first two World Cup events this season. The first competition takes place from Friday to Sunday at Maurice Richard Arena. The second is the following weekend, from Oct. 27 to 29.

Live coverage of the first event will be available on Saturday and Sunday at 1:32 p.m. ET on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.

Finishing up a weekend of racing at the Canadian Short Track Championships presented by <a href="https://twitter.com/IntactInsurance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IntactInsurance</a>