Four Canadian skaters will make their World Championships debut alongside 12 Olympians at the Olympic Oval from February 15-18

CALGARY, ALBERTA – Canada’s top long track speed skaters will hit the ice at the Calgary Olympic Oval from February 15-18, as the city welcomes the ISU World Speed Skating Championships to town for the first time since 1998.

Nineteen Canadians will lace up their long blades to compete against the world’s best across 12 individual distances and four team events. National Team veterans such as Ivanie Blondin, Isabelle Weidemann, Valérie Maltais, Laurent Dubreuil and Ted-Jan Bloemen will race for the podium alongside World Championship rookies Alison Desmarais, Anders Johnson, Yankun Zhao and Jake Weidemann.

Canadian skaters look poised to reach the podium on home ice in Calgary next weekend. After winning seven World Championship medals last season in Heerenveen, the team captured an impressive 23 World Cup medals – 5 gold, 11 silver and 7 bronze – across six events this season, including four in Quebec City this past weekend.

A few Canadians also topped the overall World Cup rankings this season. Maltais was crowned Mass Start champion, while Bloemen (5000m/10000m), Dubreuil (500m) and Blondin (Mass Start) each finished second overall in their respective distances. Canada also earned the title of vice-champion in the women’s Team Pursuit thanks to performances from Maltais, Blondin, Weidemann and Béatrice Lamarche.

ISU World Speed Skating Championships

The full list of Canadian skaters, along with the individual and team distances they have been selected to participate in, can be found below:

Abigail McCluskey (Penticton, BC)
1500m
Alison Desmarais (Vanderhoof, BC)
1000m
Carolina Hiller (Prince George, BC)
• 500m
Team Sprint
Heather Carruthers (Winnipeg, MB)
500m
Isabelle Weidemann (Ottawa, ON)
• 3000m
• 5000m
Team Pursuit
Ivanie Blondin (Ottawa, ON)
• 1500m
• 3000m
• Mass Start
• Team Sprint
Team Pursuit
Maddison Pearman (Ponoka, AB)
• 1000m
Team Sprint
Valérie Maltais (La Baie, QC)
• 1500m
• 3000m
• 5000m
• Mass Start
Team Pursuit

Anders Johnson (Burnaby, BC)
Team Sprint
Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu (Sherbrooke, QC)
• 1500m
• Mass Start
• Team Sprint
Team Pursuit
Connor Howe (Canmore, AB)
• 1000m1500m
Team Pursuit
Graeme Fish (Moose Jaw, SK)
10,000m
Hayden Mayeur (Toronto, ON)
Team Pursuit
Jake Weidemann
Mass Start
Jordan Belchos (Toronto, ON)
5000m
Laurent Dubreuil (Lévis, QC)
• 500m
• 1000m
Team Sprint
Ted-Jan Bloemen (Calgary, AB)
• 5000m
10,000m
Vincent De Haître (Cumberland, ON)
• 1000m
1500m
Yankun Zhao (Calgary, AB)
500m

With a vibrant international crowd and many exciting activations in the works, the 2024 ISU World Speed Skating Championships will be a perfect showcase for Canada’s most decorated winter Olympic sport.

Over 600 students from schools around the Calgary area will be in attendance Thursday afternoon to cheer on the skaters.
Fans will be treated to a free Calgary Stampeded pancake breakfast starting at 11:00am on Saturday
Olympic champions Mathieu Giroux, Lucas Makowsky and Denny Morrison will be inducted into the Olympic Oval’s Hall of Champions on Saturday afternoon
Fans are invited to visit Canada House presented by Intact Insurance, where they can learn about the Canadian skaters and participate in family-friendly activities

Cheer on Canada’s very best as they compete for World Championship titles and World Records on ‘The Fastest Ice in the World’ for the first time in 25 years! For as low as $10, fans can enjoy an up-close view of skaters racing head-to-head at speeds up to 60km/h in a race against the clock over distances ranging from 500m to 10,000m.

For those unable to attend in person, the races will be live streamed by CBC Sports and Radio-Canada Sports digital platforms, with television broadcast coverage also available Saturday and Sunday on CBC and ICI Télé.

For more information on the ISU World Speed Skating Championships in Calgary, visit www.speedskating.ca/calgary2024.

Speed Skating Canada would like to acknowledge the support and financial contributions of partners such as the International Skating Union, Government of Canada, Government of Alberta, Tourism Calgary, Intact Insurance and the Calgary Olympic Oval.