As news breaks on the sporting world from various areas of the globe we are hearing that several Canadian skaters are doing exceptional while competing at the 500 ISU World Cup Long Track event in Norway.
Gilmore Junio (Calgary) and Laurent Dubreuil (Lévis, QC) finished fourth and fifth in the weekend’s first 500m race, one hundredth of a second away from a bronze medal, while Winnipeg’s Heather McLean finished fifth in the women’s 500m, seven hundredths of a second away from a podium.
The first day of the ISU World Cup Long Track Speed Skating event held in Stavanger, Norway.
The men’s side saw Junio and Dubreuil skated to times of 34.88 (6) and 34.88 (7) respectively, while the bronze medal winner, Kai Verbij of the Netherlands, finished the race in 34.87.
Pavel Kulizhnikov (34.71) won the race ahead of his Russian countryman Ruslan Murashov (34.74), who was second.
For the first time this season, no Canadian ended up on the podium in a men’s 500 race.
Junio and Dubreuil, as well as Alex St-Jean of Québec City, QC, who was 14th in Friday’s 500m with a time of 35.11, are battling for the third and last spot available in the 500m at the World Single Distance Championships, which will take place February 11-14 in Kolomna, Russia.
The skater who comes up with the fastest combined time of the weekend’s two 500m races, aside from Alex Boisvert-Lacroix (Sherbrooke, QC) and William Dutton (Humboldt, SK) who qualified thanks to their performances at the Fall World Cups, will be awarded the third available spot.
Friday, Dutton was 10th in 35.02 while Boisvert-Lacroix, the top Canadian in overall 500m World Cup standings so far this season, took 19th place in 35.30.
In the women’s 500m, Heather McLean finished fifth with a time of 38.06 in the division A race. Her teammate Marsha Hudey (White City, SK) was 12th (38.58).
Japanese skaters Miho Takagi (38.46) and Misari Oshigiri (38.59) finished first and second, followed by Anice Das (38.65) of the Netherlands.
McLean and Hudey are already qualified in this distance for the World Single Distance Championships following their results at last fall’s World Cup stages.
In the B division, Olympic medalist Shannon Rempel of Winnipeg came closer to clinching the third and last spot available in the 500m distance at the World Single Distance Championships by coming up with the fastest time in the weekend’s first race, as her time of 38.99 allowed her to finish fifth in the B event.
In this case as well, the skater with the fastest combined time will earn the third available spot at the World Single Distance Championships. Aside from Rempel, Olympians Anastasia Bucsis and Kaylin Irvine of Calgary are also vying for this spot.
Ben Donnelly qualifies for Kolomna
In the men’s 1500m, Ben Donnelly of Oshawa, ON was fourth in the B race with a time of 1:48.35.
By being the top Canadian in this distance this weekend, aside from Vincent de Haître of Cumberland, ON, who was 14th in 1:48.76 in Friday’s A race and who has already clinched a spot at the World Single Distance Championships, Donnelly earned his ticket for Russia.
In the women’s 1000m, Kaylin Irvine of Calgary was 18th in 1:18.36 in the A race. In the B category, Brianne Tutt of Airdrie, AB, finished 10th with a time of 1:18.35.
Kali Christ of Regina, SK, and Bucsis respectively ended up 14th (1:18.97) and 16th (1:19.36).
On Saturday, the women’s 500m and 1500m events will take place, as well as the men’s 1000m and 5000m.
The list of skaters who will be on the Canadian teams at the three World Championships will be announced following World Cup #5.
More details are available on Speed Skating Canada’s website at www.speedskating.ca.
CANADIAN RESULTS
500m (1) M – A
4: Gilmore Junio – 34.886
5: Laurent Dubreuil – 34.887
10: William Dutton – 35.02
14: Alexandre St-Jean – 35.11
19: Alex Boisvert-Lacroix – 35.30
500m (1) W – A
5: Heather McLean – 38.06
12: Marsha Hudey – 38.58
1500m (1) M – A
14: Vincent de Haître : 1:48.76
1000m (1) W- A
18: Kaylin Irvine : 1:18.36
500m (1) W – B
5: Shannon Rempel – 38.99
8: Kaylin Irvine – 39.13
12: Anastasia Bucsis – 39.34
1000m (1) W – B
10: Brianne Tutt – 1:18.35
14: Kali Christ – 1:18.97
16: Anastasia Bucsis – 1:19.36
1500m M – B
4: Ben Donnelly – 1:48.35
12: Ted-Jan Bloemen – 1:49.02
21: Olivier Jean – 1:49.75
31: Nick Goplen – 1:51.44
Thanks for the info from Kerry Dankers, Long Track Program and Communications Coordinator, Speed Skating Canada
Email: kdankers@speedskating.ca
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