MILAN – Canada’s Steven Dubois captured gold in the men’s 500 meters short track final on Wednesday, fending off a strong challenge from Dutch brothers Melle and Jens van ’t Wout.

Melle van ’t Wout, celebrating his 26th birthday, earned silver, while younger brother Jens took bronze, adding to the two golds he had already won at the Milano Cortina Games.

This marked Dubois’ second medal of the Games, following a silver in the mixed relay, and Canada’s first gold in short track at these Olympics. While Dubois had previously won gold in the men’s relay four years ago, this was his first individual Olympic title.

“It’s a pretty special one,” Dubois said. “It was the only one I was missing really. I really wanted it pretty badly. So it feels nice to actually win the gold and beat these guys here. They are super strong.”

Brothers Share the Podium

Silver medalist Melle van ’t Wout described his medal as a surprise after recovering from a serious knee injury over the past seasons. “It’s been a hard road coming back from injuries,” he said. “An Olympic medal was definitely not something I thought was possible.” He added that his teammates gave him gluten-free chocolates and cookies for his birthday.

Jens van ’t Wout, who had been chasing an unprecedented medal sweep after winning the 1,500 and 1,000 meters, called this bronze his most special medal. “I’m very proud to be out here again, but to be here with my brother is something we’ve always dreamt of as children,” he said.

-Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro and Keith Weir; Editing by Toby Davis/Reuters