Disappointment to Domination: Canadian short track star Will Dandjinou's arc of redemption

When you walk into the locker room of Canada’s short track speed skaters in the hallowed Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal, the success of the program is immediately apparent.

On the walls are mini shrines to each Canadian short track speed skating Olympic team  – names, dates and pictures of all of 37 Olympic medallists dating back to Albertville 1992 when the sport made its Olympic debut.

The talent pops off the wall: Charles Hamelin (four gold medals), Marc Gagnon (three gold), Annie Perreault and Francois-Louis Tremblay (two gold each), to name just a few.

Also on the wall are 10 shadow figures, holding spots for the team that will compete at the Milano-Cortina Olympics that begin next Feb 6. 2026 in northern Italy.

Will Dandjinou is reserving one of those spots for himself. He was left off the team that competed in Beijing three years ago, a slight that cut him to the bone. But one that he has come to terms with, and used to propel him to the top of the sport.

The 23-year-old from Sherbrooke, Que. has had one of the most dominant seasons on record and last month became the first Canadian to win the Crystal Globe as the season’s top skater.

It wasn’t even close. He competed in all six World Cup stops, winning eight gold medals and two silver. He’s a triple threat, racking up wins in the 500, 1000, and 1500-metre events. And he was the only skater to win gold in each discipline. 

Dandjinou’s versatility and range is unmatched.

He's a daunting figure on the ice, six-foot-three without skates on. When he laces up and gets to the line, he’s literally staring down at his competition. Nothing about his build is traditional in the sport. You can’t miss him at the rink. 

And yet if you ask him what he believes is the ideal body for the action-packed sport that requires precision and accuracy at each turn, he doesn’t flinch. 

“I would say mine,” he said, smiling. “Honestly, jokes aside, probably five-foot-nine. Slim upper body, good legs. Skinny arms.”

While unconventional in many ways, Dandjinou has found a way to make his physical attributes work to his advantage.

“I'm dominating. But not in the conventional way. To me, domination is not just about results. I could have won two medals and I still think I would have brought something to the sport that you can consider being domination,” Dandjinou said. “Like, to me, dominating is just putting my stamp on the sport. And I'm not the only one doing it. We're doing it as a team also. So I think that's just great.”

This current team wants to set a new mark in the country’s illustrious history in the sport. Canadian speed skaters won six medals at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, including two golds, one silver and three bronze. Eight years later in Vancouver they won five medals. 

Dandjinou said they have the team and the talent to surpass all of that. He’ll play a key role in whether or not that happens. 

“The goal for the next Games is to break the record. Vancouver and Salt Lake are the ones to beat,” Dandjinou said, looking across the room at the medal hauls from each Olympics. 

A lot of the success he’s experiencing can be traced to the frustration and  disappointment he experienced after being left off the Olympic roster three years ago. 

“I don’t want to paint it as this dark, depressing time. I’m not short track. That part of my life was bad but I had my family, school and other hobbies,” Dandjinou said. “It was a chance to step back and look at what I have. At that moment I had to make a decision. Am I doing this for the right reasons? Am I doing this because I've always been told I was good? Am I doing this for others and for the results?

“Or am I doing it for myself and for the journey? And that's a reflection I had to have.” 

Dandjinou is deeply introspective and contemplates everything in life and on the ice. And so you can imagine that when he was confronted with this setback, he had to sit with it and sift through what it all meant to him.

“I had to go through the whole process of understanding that the Olympics only come around once every four years. So is it worth my time if I'm only having fun once every four years? To me, does it make sense?” he said. “I'm not here for the medals, although winning is nice. I'm here for the experience in the long run.”

When he was finally able to answer some of those questions about what was driving him to show up the rink each day to practise and compete at the highest level, and then reach a peace with all of it, Dandjinou quickly refocused. 

Watching Dandjinou confront his disappointment was Gagnon, a Hall of Fame short track Canadian legend and now the program’s head coach.

Gagnon is armed with the athlete’s mind, having won five medals over three Olympics. He knows how devastating it was for Dandjinou to be left off that team. 

“I don't think people know how affected he was by it,” Gagnon said. “He was really down to the point of wanting to quit skating at such a young age, knowing that he's just that close to being at the Olympics.”

But Gagnon knew Dadjinou had it in him to rebound from it – maybe even when Dadjinou didn’t fully know if he did.  

“The most impressive part was not that he came back from it, but how quick he did,” Gagnon said. “It could have been two years struggling, maybe quitting, coming back. He was really, really affected by it. But he came back really, really fast. That was impressive.”

Equally impressed by Dandjinou’s resolve was his father, Alain Dandjinou.

Alain was born and raised in the West African country of Ivory Coast. But in 1990, with the country torn by civil unrest, Alain looked to Canada for refuge. Sherbrooke, Que., seemed like a logical choice. He wanted to study in French and also be a part of the track and field team. 

As fate would have it, Alain’s first job at the Université de Sherbrooke was making the ice for the outdoor rink, a job he would hold for two winters.

“I had no idea how to do it. I couldn’t even skate but everyone was happy” he said. “I remember this one time it was my first winter taking care of the ice and there was this storm. I only had a shovel. So I spent the whole night clearing the ice because there was a hockey game the next day. I shoveled the snow all night and then went directly to my 8 a.m. class.”

Alain marvels as he reflects back on those early days, how he went from having never seen snow in his life, to making the ice, to now having his son being the face of short track in Canada.

“Being outside makes you appreciate the snow and ice. You need to respect the ice. You need to make it your friend,” Alain said. “You can do so many things on the ice when you’re well-equipped and I think that’s what William is doing now.”

At the time, Alain didn’t realize how impacted his son was by being left off that 2022 team.

“I wasn't sure how he took it. He didn't talk too much to me. But there is this behaviour [he shows]: ‘I'm tough. I can make it.’ But at the same time, as time passed by, I realized that he was very unhappy with this situation,” Alain said. 

But as painful as it was, Alain believes it might have been the best thing to happen to his son. 

“I wasn't sure he was ready. He wouldn't like me to say that, but I think that there was some aspect of his training he needed to improve,” Alain said.

In many ways, Will’s resolve is in part thanks to his dad’s demeanour. They both hold their cards close to their chest; the two have mastered emotional regulation. 

“I'm not really an emotional person. I'm more thoughtful, try to rationalize everything,” Alain said. “I try to manage my emotions and I try to keep calm inside. So no one knows what's happening, looking at me.”

But sometimes a moment becomes so great and grand they can’t help themselves.

Will tells a story about the first national championship after being left off the roster. 

“It was the end of my redemption arc after the Games. And he was there to support me. It was the last race to crown the Canadian champion. And with three laps to go, I just hear this big voice,” Will said. “And I can't even describe what he was saying. It was just so loud and clear in my head that I had to go.”

No longer reserved. Overrun by the moment.
 

Will’s aspirations far extend beyond crossing the line first and wracking up wins. He feels he represents more than just zipping around the ice, dipping around and dodging competitors in the pursuit of leading the pack. He wants to bring swagger and personality to speed skating. He wants people to love the sport as much as he does.

He’s trademarked a celebration reserved for big wins – he unfurls his arms after golden victories, stretching his arms like the wings of an eagle and waves them up and down, as if to take flight.

He’s been soaring past the competition all season.

“I see short track almost as an art. It's a way to express yourself. And I think you can learn a lot about someone just by the way they skate,” he said. “I love celebrating, especially with my crowd. You’re going to see these eagle wings a lot more.”

And he wants young kids to see him doing his thing on the ice and see themselves in him – to dream of being the best in whatever they choose that to be. 

“I think it's amazing also for the younger generation just watching the sport and being able to relate to people because if I don't show emotions, then I'm just someone with a helmet on the ice and nothing else. Sport is about emotion. It's about values and fighting for what you believe and who you are,” Dandjinou said. 

He’s a Black skater in a predominantly white sport – and yet Dandjinou doesn’t really like talking too much about that part of his story. 

“I understand the impact I’m making. I see it. But I don’t have to talk about it. My actions are more than what I could ever say,” Dandjinou said. “Every Black kid who sees me skate will be inspired because of the fact that … we have the same skin colour and we have the same values.”

“There’s a beauty to it. No one celebrates a white guy being on the team because that’s the norm. I’m very comfortable talking about all of this but I want to be as transparent as possible. It didn’t define my career.”

His teammate, Jordan Pierre-Gilles, is also Black and the 26-year-old has played a pivotal role in helping Dandjinou find his place on the team and in the sport.

“I've always seen Will as a little brother even though he's like a foot taller than me. He was younger, and a lot of things I could see in him that I recognize myself,” Pierre-Gilles said. “It was natural for me to guide him in some way. I never really noticed that's what I was doing. Sometimes he'd try to do stuff like me and at some point you get mature and you realize you take it as a compliment.”

“Jo's a great teammate and he helped me with that,” Dandjinou agreed. “Just getting out and being able to express myself, in training in my environment. And now and on the national stage, international stage.

“I think it's super important for me to showcase my emotions, because if I'm not celebrating and showing people that I love the sport and I'm doing it every day because I love it, who's going to believe me, you know?”

For as much as Dandjinou had to work on finding his groove and confidence in the space, it came pretty quickly because of his life experiences.

He says he was “funny-looking” in high school but he just didn’t care. And he was used to walking into a room and being the only Black person. 

“I’ve never looked like anybody and I didn’t care. I was always taller. When I was nine and 10 I had little glasses, braces,” he said. “I was tall and super, super thin. I felt like I wanted to belong but it was always a pride to me that I was different.”

It’s this self-acceptance, a quiet confidence, unwavering positivity and calming smile that has Dandjinou’s teammates leaning in and learning – and also excelling. 

This year during the inaugural World Tour, the Canadian Ice Maples won the team Crystal Globe, awarded to the group of skaters who earn the most points across the six international stops. 

Dandjinou set the tone and his teammates followed suit.

“It's amazing to see Will skate. I mean, he's the best. He's the goat, it's really inspiring to see him skate,” national team member Danae Blais said. “I learn from him and he learns from me and he's also a very good teammate, so I enjoy skating with him.”

Felix Roussel, who made his World Cup debut for Canada in 2022, lived with Dandjinou for a year, getting a front-row seat to his excellence and intentionality in everything he does. 

“His work ethic is perfection. He's optimizing everything he can. And he doesn't leave anything on the ice. Even off ice  And I think you can't do anything better than him,” Roussel said. “So if you want to beat him, you have to hope you can do exactly the same thing as him and have a little bit more talent.”

Roussel was there the first time Dandjinou’s celebration took form.

“He was looking for his own celebration and stuff. I think it's good for the sport. The word goes around that he's the flying Canadian,” Rousel said. 

And Pierre-Gilles is like a proud brother, having watched Dandjinou build confidence to this point where he’s now the one to beat. 

“It's really beautiful to see him blow up like that,” Pierre-Gilles said. “He's dominant. And I think he's not done. The best is yet to come for him. Even though he's the best, he's always asking questions and trying to learn. And I think that's one thing we can learn from him.”

All of these good vibes, this team cohesion, seems to be leading the Canadian short track team to what could be an historic medal haul in Italy. 

“That's what we want. You know, I'm not afraid to say it. I've said it all my career. Every time I step on the ice, I want gold. Forget gold or bust,” Pierre-Gilles said. “Gold or crash.”

Blais echoes her teammates' comments.

“I think that's a completely realistic goal. And I think as a team, the success we have this year just shows the progression curve we're on. I really think we want the best for each other and I think that's the key to success right now.”

It’s a belief that’s been instilled by Dandjinou, who has led the way on the ice. 

“I think in Milano we can win everything. That's how good I think we are. Not a single medal lost. I think we can do it. It's almost like we've never seen it. But I think if there's a team to do it, it's ours.”

Gagnon gets emotional when he looks at what his team of skaters are accomplishing – and at how they truly are a team. Because there have been times in the past when the competition became so great within their own Canadian camp it stifled success.

But that isn’t happening this time. Not with Gagnon leading. Not with this group of Canadian skaters.

“If we look at the team and what they've been doing this year so far already, I hope I'm not mistaken, but I'm pretty sure we can beat that record of six medals,” he said.

Dandjinou heads back to the locker room after another training session at Maurice Richard. 

“Whatever the sport has for me, I think it's going to be a crazy experience and I will enjoy every moment of it,” he said. “Just keep believing. In the bad moments. Believe in the good moments. You have to have it in you. And I think the best way to believe is to continue believing on the hardest day.”