- Date of birth01 Oct 2001
- Height191 CM
- ProfessionAthlete
- HometownMontreal
- Place of birthSherbrooke
- Start skatingHe took up the sport at about age six. His first skating club was CPV Montreal St-Michel in Quebec, Canada, before he moved on to train at the nearby Laval Regional Short Track Centre [CRCP].
- Club Centre National Courte Piste: Montreal, QC, CAN
- HobbiesCycling, basketball, reading, playing chess.
- LanguagesEnglish, French
- CoachSebastien Cros
- Former CoachN/A
- General Interest
- Sport Specific Information
He was named Male Short Track Athlete of the Year for 2019/20 by the Quebec Speed Skating Federation [FPVQ] in Canada. (fpvq.org, 29 Dec 2020)
"It is a sport which is very tactical and competitive. You have to be able to challenge yourself to beat the opponents who are all around you on the track." (alliancesportetudes.ca, 07 Dec 2020)
Canadian speed skater and short track skater Olivier Jean. (speedskating.ca, 01 Jan 2022)
Canadian speed skater and short track skater Olivier Jean. "He went to college and had a great career both in skating and in school. We call each other often and he gives me advice. He's almost a mentor to me." (alliancesportetudes.ca, 07 Dec 2020)
Dandjinou made his World Cup debut during the 2019/20 season, and won three gold medals and two silver medals at the 2019 Canada Winter Games in Red Deer, Alberta. (alliancesportetudes.ca, 07 Dec 2020)
Dandjinou missed out on qualification for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. He won his first ISU World Tour gold medal in 2023, in the men’s 1500m. (isu-skating.com/short-track, 20 November 2025).
He won his first ISU World Championship title in 2023/24, in the 1000m. In 2024/25, he won World Championship gold in the men’s 1500m (isu-skating.com/short-track, 20 November 2025).
Dandinou became the first athlete ever to win six gold medals across a weekend of ISU Short Track competition in October 2025. On home ice in Montreal, during ISU Short Track World Tour 2, he won gold in the 500m, 1000m, 1500m, men’s 5000m relay and the Mixed Relay. “I need to really appreciate this moment,” said Dandjinou. “As a kid you dream about those moments. I’ll not be flattering myself too much. It feels great, but I can’t take results like this for granted. There are really good competitors here. I’ve done great races, but it’s always a bit circumstantial in Short Track. (isu-skating.com/short-track, 20 November 2025).
Dandjinou won the ISU Crystal Globe, for the best male skater of the season, in both 2024/25 and 2025/26 (isu-skating.com/short-track, 4 December 2025)
Dandjinou missed out on qualification for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. He won his first ISU World Tour gold medal in 2023, in the men’s 1500m. (isu-skating.com/short-track, 20 November 2025).
He won his first ISU World Championship title in 2023/24, in the 1000m. In 2024/25, he won World Championship gold in the men’s 1500m (isu-skating.com/short-track, 20 November 2025).
Dandinou became the first athlete ever to win six gold medals across a weekend of ISU Short Track competition in October 2025. On home ice in Montreal, during ISU Short Track World Tour 2, he won gold in the 500m, 1000m, 1500m, men’s 5000m relay and the Mixed Relay. “I need to really appreciate this moment,” said Dandjinou. “As a kid you dream about those moments. I’ll not be flattering myself too much. It feels great, but I can’t take results like this for granted. There are really good competitors here. I’ve done great races, but it’s always a bit circumstantial in Short Track. (isu-skating.com/short-track, 20 November 2025).
Dandjinou won the ISU Crystal Globe, for the best male skater of the season, in both 2024/25 and 2025/26 (isu-skating.com/short-track, 4 December 2025)
HEIGHT
At more than 190 centimetres tall, he does not see his height as a drawback in short track. "My big advantage - and that I learned to do so at a young age - is that I skate low for my height. Being tall is only a disadvantage if you don't use your leg length. Since I skate low, sometimes lower than people who are actually shorter than me, it allows me to add a lot of range of motion." (lapresse.ca, 10 Jan 2020)
Dandjinou has his own range of skating merchandise, including caps, hoodies, t-shirts and race suits (shop.speedskating.ca/en/collections/dandjinou, 20 November 2025).
He is known for his custom celebrations after winning a race, including the ‘eagle’ and ‘sleep’ celebrations (isu-skating.com/short-track, 20 November 2025).
At more than 190 centimetres tall, he does not see his height as a drawback in short track. "My big advantage - and that I learned to do so at a young age - is that I skate low for my height. Being tall is only a disadvantage if you don't use your leg length. Since I skate low, sometimes lower than people who are actually shorter than me, it allows me to add a lot of range of motion." (lapresse.ca, 10 Jan 2020)
Dandjinou has his own range of skating merchandise, including caps, hoodies, t-shirts and race suits (shop.speedskating.ca/en/collections/dandjinou, 20 November 2025).
He is known for his custom celebrations after winning a race, including the ‘eagle’ and ‘sleep’ celebrations (isu-skating.com/short-track, 20 November 2025).
He trains at the Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal, QC, Canada.
"I wanted to go far in the sport because I liked it. Things started coming together when I was training at Laval Regional Short Track Centre. At that point, I really started to see that I had the potential to go further."
Sebastien Cros
