Speed Skating Canada – Tyson Langelaar finishes third and Béatrice Lamarche, fifth, in overall individual standings

Helsinki, Finland, February 18, 2017 – Canada won five medals, one silver and four bronze, including the one that went to Tyson Langelaar for finishing third in the men’s overall individual standings, Saturday, at the ISU World Junior Long Track Speed Skating Championships to be held until Sunday in Helsinki, Finland.

After earning a bronze medal in Friday’s 1500m, Tyson Langelaar of Winnipeg, MB, added three more medals to his tally on Saturday, as he collected bronze in the 1000m as well as in overall individual standings, where he finished third, in addition to coming up with a silver medal in the team sprint, alongside Connor Howe of Calgary, AB, and David La Rue from Saint-Lambert, QC.

Béatrice Lamarche of Quebec City, QC, and Graeme Fish of Moose Jaw, SK, also earned bronze medals on Saturday, in the women’s 1000m and the men’s 5000m respectively.

On Saturday, Tyson Langelaar first came up with bronze in the 1000m, and he then came in 15th in the 5000m to clinch a spot on the podium for the overall standings, behind Chris Huizinga of the Netherlands and Norway’s Allan Dahl Johansson.

“My coach (Tyler Derraugh) and I had set a goal to try and get a top-6 result. We accomplished that!,” pointed out Tyson Langelaar who, last year, finished 13th in overall standings. “Getting third overall is pretty surreal. I didn’t really expect it, but I’m not surprised either considering how well I skated this weekend.”

Before the 5000m event was held, Langelaar was second in overall standings.

“I was really excited about my 5000m race. I went out on my own game plan and lap time, and it worked out well. I knew I had a bit of a gap in my favour to stay on the podium and that’s what I set out to do, to try to hang on for third overall,” said Langelaar, who will again compete in the junior category next season, and will therefore be eligible to represent Canada once again at the World Junior Championships.

The bronze to Fish, La Rue 14 hundredths of a second away from a podium

Later on Saturday, Langelaar, Howe and La Rue worked together to win the silver medal in the team sprint.

“I absolutely did not expect to win a medal in the team sprint,” said David La Rue, the reigning Canadian junior champion. “I had it in my head that it was maybe going to happen in the team pursuit race on Sunday, so I’m quite happy about winning this medal!”

In individual competition, La Rue came close to ending up on the podium in his first-ever World Junior Championships, as he finished fourth in the 1000m, only 14 hundredths of a second away from the third spot which went to Langelaar.

“I’m happy with my performance in the 1000m,” said La Rue. “It’s somewhat of a bitter feeling to come within 14 hundredths of a second away from a podium, but I learned a lot in this race, as I do in every race.”

In the 5000m, Graeme Fish collected bronze after skating the race in 6:58.48. He finished behind Dutch skaters Chris Huizinga (6:46.40) and Marwin Talsma (6:56.45).

“I’m happy with my medal,” said Graeme Fish, who is taking part in the World Junior Championships for the first time. “This is what I’ve been working for all year and I now have results to show for it. I wasn’t really happy about my 1000m but when I saw Tyson (Langelaar) win his medal, I told myself that I had a chance to actually do that myself, that even if my legs were sore, so what, I just needed to go out and race, and do my best.”

Following all four individual events, David La Rue ended up eighth in overall standings, while Graeme Fish was 18th and Connor Howe was 24th.

Béatrice Lamarche fifth overall

On the women’s side, Béatrice Lamarche was the top Canadian in overall standings, finishing fifth as she did last year.

On Saturday, Lamarche, who is taking part in the World Junior Championships for the second time, started off her day by earning the bronze medal in the 1000m with a time of 1:23.52, finishing behind Russia’s Daria Kachanova (1:21.87) and Joy Beune (1:23,06) of the Netherlands.

Placed eighth in overall standings after three of four events, Lamarche then skated to eighth place in the final event, the women’s 3000m (4:47.52), to climb up to fifth place.

Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands won the 2017 World Junior Championship title.

“It’s a good feeling, especially after being more or less happy about my races on Friday,” said Béatrice Lamarche, who took seventh place in the 1500m and 23rd place in the 500m held the previous day. “In the 1000m, I felt good from start to finish and I really did what I had set out to do. And then, for the 3000m, I was pretty confident I would be able to collect the points that I needed to move up in the standings. But I know that the 3000m is not my specialty.”

“My overall ranking is quite good, but the thing I’m most proud of is that I was able to come back,” pointed out Lamarche. “Even if I had finished as good as third, I would have taken the most pride in the fact that I moved up in the standings, because I proved to myself that I’m capable of doing that, that even after a disappointing race, I’m able to start fresh.”

In overall standings, Véronique Déry of Lévis, QC, finished 15th while Carolane Gingras of Quebec City, QC, was 22nd. Brooklyn McDougall of Calgary, AB, was unable to qualify for the final event, the 3000m.

In the women’s team sprint, McDougall, Gingras and Déry finished in fifth place.

On Sunday, the last day of the competition, the mass start races and team pursuit events are scheduled.

TODAY’S CANADIAN RESULTS

1000m W

BRONZE – Béatrice Lamarche (1:23,52)

26. Carolane Gingras (1:27,57)

27. Véronique Déry (1:27,76)

40. Brooklyn McDougall (1:30,61)

1000m M

BRONZE – Tyson Langelaar (1:14,91)

4. David La Rue (1:15,05)

41. Connor Howe (1:18,68)

52. Graeme Fish (1:20,18)

3000m W

8. Béatrice Lamarche (4:47,52)

18. Véronique Déry (4:56,00)

30. Carolane Gingras (5:07,00)

5000m M

BRONZE – Graeme Fish (6:58,48)

15. Tyson Langelaar (7:17,66)

20. David La Rue (7:21,55)

33. Connor Howe (7:44,44)

Final Ranking W

5. Béatrice Lamarche

15. Véronique Déry

22. Carolane Gingras

Final Ranking M

BRONZE – Tyson Langelaar

8. David La Rue

18. Graeme Fish

24. Connor Howe

Team Sprint W

Canada: 5 (1:37,47)

(Brooklyn McDougall, Carolane Gingras, Véronique Déry)

Team Sprint M

Canada: SILVER

(Connor Howe, David La Rue, Tyson Langelaar)

More details are available at Speed Skating Canada’s web site at www.speedskating.ca.

About Speed Skating Canada

Speed Skating Canada (SSC) is the governing body for competitive long track and short track speed skating in Canada. Founded in 1887, the association is comprised of 13 provincial and territorial branches representing more than 14,000 individual members, and counting. SSC believes that sport is an apprenticeship for life and prizes respect for others, integrity, excellence of effort, as well as a safe, healthy environment. SSC recognizes and values its outstanding volunteers who give freely of their time and expertise. It also celebrates the 63 Olympic medals won by Canadian athletes since 1932, as well as the coaches, officials and other dedicated individuals who helped them on their journey.

SSC is proud to be affiliated with partners that share the same vision and values including our premium sponsors Intact Insurance, as well as our funding partners, the Government of Canada, Own the Podium, City of Montreal, Calgary Olympic Oval and WinSport Canada.

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For information:

Patrick Godbout

Communications & Media Relations Manager

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Email: pgodbout@speedskating.ca

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Kerry Dankers
Long Track Program and Communications Coordinator
Speed Skating Canada
Email: kdankers@speedskating.ca
Phone: 403-589-8960
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