Connor Howe earns 1500m victory; Yankun Zhao helps men’s Team Sprint capture gold for first career international medal

SALT LAKE CITY, USA – Canada earned three medals on the opening day of racing at the ISU Four Continents Championships in Salt Lake City. Connor Howe earned gold in the men’s 1500m, while the men’s and women’s Team Sprint squads raced to gold and bronze, respectively.

Howe (Canmore, Alta.) reached his first international podium of the season on Friday, brining home gold with a time of 1:43.19 in the 1500m. The 23-year-old Canadian was joined on the podium by Emery Lehman of the United States (1:44.03) and Ryota Kojima of Japan (1:44.40).

It was a promising result for Howe, who looks poised to return to the form that helped him win a pair of World Cup in the 1500m last season, where he finished second in the overall standings.

Earlier in the evening, Laurent Dubreuil (Lévis, Que.), Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu (Sherbrooke, Que.) and Yankun Zhao (Calgary, Alta.) helped Canada reach the top step of the podium in the men’s Team Sprint. Their season’s best time of 1:18.54 put them comfortably ahead of silver medalist Kazakhstan (+3.17) and bronze medalists Korea (+3.47).

The victory marked the first career international medal for Zhao, who was making his debut with the senior team less than a year after being crowned national junior champion. Originally listed as the reserve skater for the Team Sprint, the 20-year-old was called into action after teammate Anders Johnson was forced to withdraw due to a last-minute injury.

The Canadian women also reached the podium in the Team Sprint, as Carolina Hiller (Prince-George, B.C.), Maddison Pearman (Ponoka, Alta.) and Ivanie Blondin (Ottawa, Ont.) set a new Canadian record of 1:25.41 – breaking the previous mark of 1:25.73 from December 2022 – to bring home bronze. It was Canada’s third international medal of the season in the distance, having previously captured World Cup silver in Beijing and bronze in Stavanger.

The ISU Four Continents Speed Skating Championships continue tomorrow with the men’s 500m and 5000m, along with the women’s 500m and 3000m. The races can be live streamed on CBC Sports digital platforms, including CBCSports.ca and the CBC Gem app.

Quotes

“This medal was definitely unexpected! I had just finished my warmup on ice and was going to head back to the hotel to rest up for my main event, the 500m. Unfortunately, I received news that my teammate Anders [Johnson] had hurt his back, and as I was the reserve for Team Sprint, I was selected to compete alongside Laurent and Antoine. I didn’t feel any pressure on my shoulders, as this was my first senior international competition and I wanted to use the winter to gain experience. I never would have thought that we would win gold in the event! I’m excited to see what the future in speed skating holds for me!”

Yankun Zhao

“It was very exciting to break the national record today and come away with a medal. I think we have some things we could improve on for the next race but we are definitely a strong team each time we step out on the ice and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season!“

Maddison Pearman

Results

1500m

Connor Howe: 1st
Vincent De Haître: 12th
Laura Hall: 7th
Alison Desmarais: 8th

Team Sprint

Men’s: 1st
Women’s: 3r