Julia Snelgrove and Jalen Doan capture Canada’s first ever junior long track relay medal
COLLALBO, ITALY – Canada’s long track skaters battled snowy conditions on the outdoor oval in Collalbo to add two more medals to their ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships haul on Sunday, bringing their weekend total to four medals, including two gold.
In their first ever race together as a trio, Canadians Isabelle Champagne (Calgary, Alta.), Julia Snelgrove (Dartmouth, N.S.) and Skylar Van Horne (Winnipeg, Man.) posted the second fastest time in the women’s Team Sprint, finishing the three laps in 1:32.67. They were only +0.34 seconds behind first place Poland, while the Koreans earned the bronze medal (+0.45).
It was Canada’s second ever medal in the women’s Team Sprint since the distance was added to the Junior Championships in 2015, having captured their first, a bronze, last season in Hachinohe, Japan.
“There is always room for improvement [over last year’s bronze medal], and we proved it this year. We came in with more experience, which helped a lot. We tried out the slingshot technique, which worked well for us. We are proud and happy today!” Skyler Van Horne
Snelgrove then teamed up with two-time medalist Jalen Doan (Calgary, Alta.), winner of 500m gold on Friday and 1000m bronze on Saturday, to earn a historic gold medal in the Mixed Relay.
The Canadian pair posted a time of 3:05.16 to grab the top spot on the podium, ahead of Germany (+0.29) and Japan (+1.52). They became the first junior world champions in the new discipline, which was making its debut in Collalbo.
Canada’s long track team returns to action with a pair of senior World Cup stops in Poland (February 21-23) and the Netherlands (February 28-March 2). On the national front, Quebec City is slated to host the season-ending Long Track Canada Cup Final from February 28 to March 2 at the Centre de glace Intact Assurance.
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Alain Brouillette
Speed Skating Canada
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