CALGARY, ALBERTA – Canadian sprinters Béatrice Lamarche and Cédrick Brunet captured their first career national titles on Thursday at the 2025 Canadian Long Track Championships presented by Intact Insurance, joining veteran long distance skaters Valérie Maltais and Ted-Jan Bloemen as gold medalists after the first day of racing.
Lamarche (Quebec City, Que.) skated a new personal best time of 37.91 to grab the 500m title from three-time defending champion Carolina Hiller-Donnelly (Prince-George, B.C.), who settled for silver (38.09). The pair were joined on the podium by Jenna Larter (Brookfield, P.E.I.), who crossed the finish line in 38.24.
“I felt that I had what it takes to win the 500m this season. This was also my first career victory at Canadian Championships so I’m pretty proud of that. I was happy with how I executed my race. I had in my head that I could reach the 37-second mark today and I’m supper happy that I managed to do so,” said Béatrice Lamarche.
Brunet (Gatineau, Que.) was the fastest male sprinter on Thursday, besting his fastest ever time with a 34.42 en route to victory in the 500m. Anders Johnson (Burnaby, B.C.) finished second with a time of 34.46, while Christopher Fiola (Montreal, Que.) was third (34.74). Veteran national team skater Laurent Dubreuil (Lévis, Que.) did not participate as he was pre-qualified for the distance based on his international results last season.
“I skated a 34.6 last week, which was my fastest time to date. It had been a while that I was chasing my personal best. I got to the starting line more confidant than ever and proved to everyone that I have a place here among the best. To have delivered on the ice today really takes some weight off my shoulders,” said Cédrick Brunet.
A pair of long-distance titles were also up for grabs during the first day of racing at the Olympic Oval.
Maltais (La Baie, Que.) returned to the top of the podium in the women’s 3000m for the first time since 2023, finishing the distance in 4:01.69 to grab gold ahead of teammates Ivanie Blondin (Ottawa, Ont.) and Isabelle Weidemann (Ottawa, Ont.), who posted times of 4:03.12 and 4:04.18, respectively.
“I am very happy with my execution today in the 3000m. We really focused this summer on this distance and today was the first real test to see where I stood. From this point forward, I will be building on this objective and trying to race a little better each time,” said Valérie Maltais.
In the men’s 5000m, veteran Bloemen (Calgary, Alta.) finished with a comfortable lead over his competition (6:11.73) to win the distance. Daniel Hall (Calgary, Alta) and Jake Weidemann rounded out the podium with times of 6:19.61 and 6:27.36, respectively.
“I feel really good about this one. It was a very solid race – more controlled and slightly faster than what I did earlier this fall. It’s a good start to the season and I’m looking forward to continuing tomorrow,” shared Ted-Jan Bloemen.
The 2025 Canadian Long Track Championships presented by Intact Insurance continue Friday at the Olympic Oval, with the men’s 1000m, women’s 1000m, men’s 10,000m and women’s 5000m. Races will be live streamed on Speed Skating Canada’s YouTube channel, as well as on CBC Sports and Radio-Canada Sports digital platforms.
Media Contact
Alain Brouillette
Speed Skating Canada
communications@speedskating.ca
613-601-2630