Florence Brunelle, Mathieu Pelletier and Ann-Sophie Bachand to lead experienced Canadian team in Dresden
MONTREAL, QUEBEC – Speed Skating Canada announces today the provisional composition of its team for the ISU World Junior Short Track Championships, which will take place from January 27-29 in Dresden, Germany.
The Canadian team for these World Championships will be comprised of eight skaters, including three former medalists and three athletes making their international debut for Canada.
Leading the charge on the women’s side is Olympian Florence Brunelle (Trois-Rivières, Que.), who will return to competition for the first time since last season’s World Championships in Montreal after having dealt with injuries throughout the summer. With five medals already to her name, she enters her third career World Junior Championships as one of the country’s most decorated junior skaters, with only Marie-Ève Drolet having earned more hardware (10 medals).
Brunelle will be joined by last year’s double medalist, Ann-Sophie Bachand (Sherbrooke, Que.), who won silver in the 500m and gold in the 3000m relay, as well as fellow relay team medalist Ayisha Miao Qi (Blainville, Que.).
The only returning athlete on the men’s side is Samuel Bureau (Montreal, Que.). He will most notably be joined by 16-year-old Mathieu Pelletier (Laval, Que.), who made his World Cup debut with the senior team this fall, winning bronze in the 2000m mixed gender relay on home ice in Montreal.
The provisional list of skaters selected to represent Canada at the ISU World Junior Short Track Championships in Dresden can be found below:
- Ann-Sophie Bachand (Sherbrooke, Que.)
- Ayisha Miao Qi (Blainville, Que.)
- Émanuelle Leclerc (Lac-au-Saumon, Que.)
- Florence Brunelle (Trois-Rivières, Que.)
- Mathieu Pelletier (Laval, Que.)
- Victor Roy-Lafrance (Boucherville, Que.)
- Samuel Bureau (Montreal, Que.)
- Alexis Bélanger (Trois-Rivières, Que.)
The team will be accompanied by coaches Jeff Scholten (Frederiction, N.B.) and Jonathan Perez-Audy (Laval, Que.), as well as physiotherapist Émilie Turner (Montreal, Que.).
The team nominations were made in accordance with relevant High Performance Bulletins following the 2022 Canadian Junior Short Track Championships presented by Intact Insurance, which were hosted from November 25-27 in Sherbrooke. It is important to note that the composition of this team could potentially change should an appeal be submitted and accepted. Teams will not be made official until the appeal period has passed and a decision on those appeals – should any be received – has been made.