Short track speedskater Will Dandjinou hints at more tactical approach after missed Olympic medals

Six weeks later, Canadian speed skater Will Dandjinou doesn’t regret the gold-medal-or-bust approach from his Olympic debut in Milan.

It worked this season on the World Tour as Dandjinou won seven of eight short track races to earn his second consecutive Crystal Globe as season champion, but he was held off the medal podium in three individual races at the Winter Games and the men’s 5,000-metre relay after capturing 2,000 relay silver.

“It’s the gold medal that excites me,” Dandjinou expressed Monday in an interview with Brittany MacLean-Campbell of CBC Sports. “I take the risks to be able to go there.

“I have a way of doing things and I like to stay authentic to that way. I like to play the odds and I like to have fun in my sport, so taking that risk was something that I was open to.

“Maybe [you’ll] see me in four years [at the 2030 Olympics in Nice and French Alps taking] more of a tactical approach and trying to figure out stuff differently,” Dandjinou went on, “but that’s the approach I had for these Games and I’m proud I stuck with it.”

On Feb. 14, Dandjinou placed fifth in the men’s Olympic 1,500, two days after finishing fourth in the 1,000.

The 24-year-old from Montreal was in prime position to attack late in the 1,500 after moving behind leader Jens van ‘T Wout of the Netherlands with four laps remaining. Dandjinou entered the final of 13 ½ laps in bronze position, then contacted South Korea’s Shin Dong Min and couldn’t recover.

Dutch short track skater captures 2nd gold, Canadians Dandjinou, Dubois miss podium

In preparing for his first Olympics, Dandjinou and his coaches worked on skating with the lead at World Tour events. Entering the 1,500, he figured opponents would try to prevent the Canadian from