Santos-Griswold, Stoddard Open New Short Track World Tour With Podium Finishes
by Paul D. Bowker
Kristen Santos-Griswold won a pair of Silver medals and nearly reached the podium a third time as the newly branded ISU Short Track World Tour kicked off this weekend in Montreal, Canada.
Santos-Griswold, a 2022 Olympian who finished runner-up in the race for the 2023-24 World Cup Crystal Globe, took second in the Women’s 1000m and 500m, while 2022 Olympic teammate Corinne Stoddard joined her on the podium as the Bronze medalist in the 1000m.
“Obviously, my goal was to go for Gold this weekend, but unfortunately that didn’t happen,” Santos-Griswold said. “I’m really proud of myself in my abilities to persevere through lots of falls, lots of races, and bumps and scrapes.”
Santos-Griswold battled Xandra Velzeboer, an Olympic Relay Gold medalist from the Netherlands, in each of her races.
Both Santos-Griswold and Stoddard were within milliseconds of Velzeboer in the 1000m. Velzeboer won in 1:31.011, with Santos-Griswold crossing the line .033 seconds after and Stoddard less than a second behind.
“The best part about finishing second and third with Corie is that we both push each other every single day,” Santos-Griswold said. “She is my biggest supporter out there. I think it’s really nice being in a race, knowing that you have someone who’s on your side.”
Added Stoddard: “Obviously, we would love to have Gold and Silver, but Silver and Bronze felt really good (for the) first race of the season. I think I lived up to my expectations for the 1000. Looking forward to doing better in the 1500 next weekend.”
Santos-Griswold also finished behind Velzeboer in the 500m in a true photo finish. The Dutch star crossed the line in 42.089 seconds, just 0.02 ahead of Santos-Griswold.
In the third women’s individual race, South Korea’s Kim Gilli won the 1500m as Santos-Griswold and Stoddard finished just off the podium in fourth and fifth, with times of 2:24.612 and 2:24.729. The top five finishers were all among 0.333 seconds.
Having support from a teammate is huge at these international competitions, Santos-Griswold said.
“Every single day we train together,” she said. “Even in today’s races, after I would have a fall or something and there’s a restart, she’d come over and be like, ‘C’mon, you’ve got this, you’re good.’”
Andrew Heo was the only American man to make an A Final in Montreal. He was one of five in the 500m Final but was penalized after a collision with two laps to go. Brandon Kim won the 500m B Final.
“I’m just trying to stay focused and remind myself that I can compete with these guys,” Heo said. “For the 500m, luckily there wasn’t much to think about except going fast and trying my best.”
Heo finished second in his quarterfinal and third in his semifinal.
“This was just the first stop of the World Tour, so hopefully as we get going I’ll be able to get better and better,” Heo said.
The World Cup Tour remains in Montreal for the second competition, Nov. 1-3.
Paul D. Bowker has been writing about Olympic and Paralympic sports since 1996, when he was an assistant bureau chief in Atlanta. He is a freelance contributor to USSpeedskating.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
