Dubreuil and Maltais defend their titles; Double podium finishes in women’s 3000m and men’s 5000m 

SALT LAKE CITY, USA – Canada wraps up the second day of the ISU Four Continents Speed Skating Championships with an impressive five medals, including two gold, two silver, and one bronze. 

Laurent Dubreuil (Lévis, Que.) defended his Four Continents Championships gold, winning the 500m with a time of 34.19. Wataru Morishige and Tatsuya Shinhama, both of Japan, won silver (+0.04) and bronze (+0.09), respectively. NextGen team athlete Yankun Zhao (Calgary, Alta.) raced a personal best time of 34.84, finishing in 11th place. 

The Canadian women skated to a double podium in the 3000m. Valerie Maltais (La Baie, Que.) defended her gold medal from last season with a time of 4:01.71, while Isabelle Weidemann (Ottawa, Ont.) took the silver (+0.96), ahead of Mia Manganello of the United States, who captured bronze (+1.14). Laura Hall (Salmon Arm, B.C.) finished in 6th (+8.45).  

Graeme Fish (Moose Jaw, Sask.) and Ted-Jan Bloemen (Calgary, Alta.) ended the day with a second double podium finish for Canada. Fish won the silver medal with a time of 6:14.16, just 0.02 seconds behind Casey Dawson of the United States (6:14.14), but ahead of teammate Bloemen, who earned bronze in 6:14.22 (+0.08). NextGen skater Daniel Hall (Calgary, Alta.) posted a personal best time of 6:29.40 (+15.26), finishing in 6th place. 

The ISU Four Continents Speed Skating Championships in Salt Lake City will conclude on Sunday with the women’s and men’s Team Pursuit, Mass Start, and 1000m. Races can be watched live on CBC Sports digital platforms, including CBCSports.ca and the CBC Gem app. 

Quotes

“It was a good race. I had a bad start. In the first few metres, I was behind Kim and I wasn’t competitive at first. But I didn’t panic. I was able to stay focused on my technique. I accelerated into the first corner. The second straight was still good and my last corner was very good. I was low and very aerodynamic and created a lot of speed. In terms of importance, it’s not a World Cup victory, but in terms of calibre, all my rivals are there, or almost. There weren’t many people missing who could have won medals. 34.1 is also a very respectable time. I beat several of the top people in the world. It’s a big win, and I’m really happy to start the trip like this. We’ve only been in Salt Lake for 3 days. We haven’t been here long. The altitude is hard for us to get used to. But I’m very proud of the way I managed my race and very happy with the win.”

Laurent Dubreuil

“Today, I’m really happy with my race and how I managed it. At the moment, I’ve just finished a training phase, so I’m not totally rested. We arrived from Phoenix on Thursday, so only two days to prepare in terms of skating. The aim is clearly for the next two World Cup weekends and to continue to train well in order to be in top form for February. It’s good information that I’m taking on board today, which will be useful for next week’s World Cup. I think I can be faster than I was today. I’m very happy to have defended my title. I really wanted it and it’s always nice to compete against a field that’s up to the task, with Isabel, Mia and the Japanese girl. Slowly, more and more people will be attending the Four Continents Championships, as we’re going to place the tournament at a better time in the calendar. Tomorrow’s the team pursuit.”

Valerie Maltais

“Today’s race was one of my best races since getting COVID in 2021. Nice to see that my fitness and technique are moving in the right direction as we get closer to the World Championships. Still have lots of room for improvement and excited to see what the future brings.”

Graeme Fish

Results

500m

Laurent Dubreuil: 1st 
Yankun Zhao: 10th 
Carolina Hiller: 9th 
Rose Laliberté-Roy: 10th 
Maddison Pearman: 14th 

3000m

Valerie Maltais: 1st 
Isabelle Weidemann: 2nd 
Laura Hall: 6th 

5000m

Graeme Fish: 2nd 
Ted-Jan Bloemen: 3rd 
Daniel Hall: 6th