Speed Skating Canada – TOMASZÓW, MAZOWIECKI, POLAND – A trio of Canadian long track skaters – Heather McLean, Laurent Dubreuil and Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu – earned top 10 finishes in their respective distances during the second day of ISU World Cup Speed Skating #3 races in Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Poland.

McLean of Winnipeg, Man. earned her best result of the season in the 500m on Saturday, a seventh-place finish in the 500m(2) with a time of 38.682. It was an improvement on the 11^th place (39.007) result she skated in yesterday’s 500m(1).

“I have spent this season slowly, but surely, rebuilding my approach to training and racing,” said McLean. “I am very proud of today’s 500m and looking forward to more racing this season.”

Dubreuil of Lévis, Que. posted a time of 35.344 in the men’s 500m(2). While the time was identical to the one he skated a day earlier in the 500m(1), the ninth place result was much better than his previous 12^th place finish.

“It was an okay race for me,” said Dubreuil. “I was just missing a little something on my start. With a little more speed off the start my turns would be better and I would have more momentum. I think I can reach the podium if I just speed up my start.”

“I’ll try to correct a few technical elements for next weekend, but it’s going to be more of a physical battle moving forward to win a medal between now and the World Championships. That’s what it will take to have the chance at a medal, which was my goal this season.”

Gélinas-Beaulieu of Sherbrooke, Que. clocked in at 1:48.919 in the men’s 1500m, earning him an eighth-place finish, which surpassed his two previous World Cup results of the season, 12^th place in Obihiro and 15^thplace in Tomakomai. Teammate David La Rue of Saint-Lambert, Que. was disqualified from the same distance for wearing an incorrect armband.

“An eighth-place finish is a personal best for me,” said Gélinas-Beaulieu. “My race went very well. I had a bit of a slip and my blade picked the ice during the first turn, so my start wasn’t the best, but I was able to regain some speed and maintain it until the end of the race.”

Canadians also fared very well in Division B races on Saturday, with four athletes earning top-3 results that will vault them into the top Division A grouping at next weekend’s World Cup in the Netherlands.

Marsha Hudey of White City, Sask. was first overall in the ladies’ 500m(2) with a time of 38.905, while Kaylin Irvine of Calgary, Alta. finished in third (39.188).

Ivanie Blondin of Ottawa, Ont. earned a first-place (1:59.997) result of her own in the ladies’ 1500m. Valérie Maltais of Saguenay, Que. kicked off her long track World Cup career with a seventh-place (2:02.229) finish, while teammate Keri Morrison of Burlington, Ont. came in eighth (2:02.758).

Gilmore Junio of Calgary, Alta. skated to a second-place (35.587) finish in the men’s 500m(2), while Alex Boisvert-Lacroix of Sherbrooke, Que. was 10^th (35.959) and Christopher Fiola of Montreal, Que. was 13^th(36.110).

The competition wraps up on Sunday with the finals for the ladies 5000m, men’s 10,000m and team sprint events. CBC Sports and Radio-Canada will be live streaming the races beginning at 8:00AM ET.

For more information, including links to schedules and live results, please visit https://www.speedskating.ca/events/world-cup-3-lt.

Media

Alain Brouillette
Speed Skating Canada
Email: communications@speedskating.ca
Phone: 613-601-2630