Fort St. John’s Four-time Olympic medalist Denny Morrison, multi-World Cup medalist Ivanie Blondin (Ottawa), Ted-Jan Bloemen (Calgary), and Regina’s Kali Christ will battle for the 2015 ISU World Allround Speed Skating Championships, March 7-8 in Calgary.
The championships will feature 24 male and 24 female skaters. All competitors will compete in the 500m, 1500m, 3000m (women) and 5000m (men).
The top eight after those three events will participate in the 5000m (women) and 10 000m (men) Sunday afternoon to determine the world champion.
The field includes Dutch stars Sven Kramer and Ireen Wust. Kramer is vying for his seventh world allround title, which would put him one win behind Gunda Niemann of Germany, who won eight titles in the 1990s.
Wust, meanwhile, will be attempting to win her fifth straight world allround title, which would tie her with Niemann for most consecutive victories.
Also competing are two-time women’s champion Irene Sablikova of the Czech Republic and former champion Claudia Pechstein of Germany.
On the men’s side, the field includes 2014 champion Koen Verweij of the Netherlands and 2014 bronze medalist Denis Yuskov of Russia.
Morrison is competing in his fifth World allround championships and he has finished in the top 10 each of the four previous occasions.
“My objective for this year’s World allround competition is simply to skate as well as I feel I am currently capable of, on my home ice,” he said.
“Right now, that could translate into personal bests in more than one race.”
Bloemen initially from the Netherlands will be competing in his first World allround for Canada and third overall will try to make his home town fans supportive.
While living in the Netherlands he finished in fourth place when he competed at the 2010 competition in Heerenveen.
Blondin has six World Cup medals so far this season and won a Silver medal in mass start at the recent World Single Distance Championships.
Christ will be competing in her third World Allround and placed 10th in 2014 in Heerenveen.
“I’m really excited to be racing a world championships on home soil, not to mention the fastest ice in the world,” she said. “I can’t wait to see some of the times that will be posted next weekend, it should be a lot of fun.”
The championships begin at noon on Saturday, March 7 and 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 8.
Canadian athletes have won four gold, five silver and five bronze in the past, all won by women. Five of those medals were captured by Winnipeg’s Cindy Klassen, who won world titles in 2003 and 2006. She also has two silver and a bronze.
Kristina Groves, now retired, won two silver and two bronze during her career and Christine Nesbitt has one silver and a bronze.
A tribute to Gilmore Junio and honour for coach Bart Schouten
The weekend will also feature a tribute to Speed Skating Canada national team sprinter Gilmore Junio of Calgary at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
He will be honoured for his selfless act at the 2014 Winter Olympics, where he gave up his spot in the men’s 1000m race to teammate Morrison, who took that spot and turned it into a silver medal.
A special ceremony recognizing Junio’s act will be held during a break in the competition on Saturday, March 8.
Canadian national team coach Bart Schouten will also be honoured during a break in competition on Sunday, March 8, with a 2015 Petro Canada Coaching Excellence Award.
These prestigious awards recognize coaches whose athletes have excelled at world championships or at Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Schouten coaches Denny Morrison, who won two medals at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Tickets are available online at http://www.speedsk8.ca/tickets.html.
Saturday’s competitions will be broadcast on CBC and www.cbcsports.ca starting at 5 pm (Eastern Time). Sunday, competitions will be on CBC at 5 pm and on cbcsports.ca at 4 pm. 
Saturday, March 7
11:45 a.m.: Opening ceremonies
12 p.m.: Women’s 500m
Men’s 500m
Women’s 3000m
Men’s 5000m
1 p.m.: Tribute to Gilmore Junio
Sunday, March 8
11 a.m.: Women’s 1500m
Men’s 1500m
Women’s 5000m
Men’s 10 000m
Thanks to Speed Skating Canada for the info and for more information visit www.speedskating.ca.
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