Long Track Speed Skating Development/NextGen National Team member Ben Donnelly started the season breaking the Canadian Junior Record in the 3000m. during
The record setting time was captured at the recent 2015 Fall Classic recently held at the Olympic Oval in Calgary over the weekend of September 25th-27th.
This competition was a prelude to the Long Track Fall World Cup Selections which will be held October 22-25 also at the Olympic Oval.
Donnelly, 19 years old and Canadian Junior champion last year, clocked a time of 3:45.45 to break the old record of 3:45.98 held by Olympic silver medalist Justin Warsylewicz since March 2004.
Donnelly represented Canada at the World Junior Championships last year told the media “Following how well training went earlier this week, I was expecting a personal best and I felt good during the race and I knew going in that I could do a good race.”
Personal Bests
Like Donnelly, many Speed Skating Canada’s National Team members showed off their shape during this competition.
Overall, eight skaters clocked new personal bests, including the 2014-2015 World Cup Champion in the mass start event, Ivanie Blondin from Ottawa, Ontario.
She skated a personal best in the 1000m by besting her record by two hundredths with a time of 1:16.22.
The Senior Group member Vincent De Haître from Cumberland, Ontario, also matched his personal best in the 1000m. The bronze medalist in this distance at the World Cup Final last year, clocked again a time of 1:07.63.
Other members of the national teams also shined last weekend with new personal best.
Dawson Creek’s Jacob Graham (19) broke three personal bests: in the 500m (36.08), 1000m (1:11.61) and 1500m (1:55.06).Here are the other National Team members who skated new personal bests last weekend:
- CARRUTHERS, Dan (Cambridge, ON): 4:00.31 in the 3000m –
- CLOUTHIER, Braden (Dawson Creek, B.C.): 3:57.33 in the 3000m
- DECKERT, Sam (Winnipeg, MB): 3:53.27 in the 3000m
- WATSON, Rob (Whitby, ON): 3:49.76 in the 3000m
First race, first win in mass start for Olivier Jean
The Short Track Speed Skating Olympic medalist from Lachenaie Olivier Jean won his first-ever mass start race, a new event for the next Olympic Games.
Jean, who arrived in Calgary Wednesday, finished first in front of BC’s Nick Goplen as well as the four-time Olympic medalist Bob de Jong from the Netherlands.
Jean is taking part in an intensive training program to prepare for the Long Track Fall World Cup Selections, set for October 22-25 at Calgary’s Olympic Oval.
The full schedule, and the list of competing athletes as well as results are available on Speed Skating Canada’s website at www.speedskating.ca
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