Lamarche and Howe earn 1000m gold; Weidemann wins 5000m and Bloemen 10,000m on second day of racing in Calgary
CALGARY, ALBERTA – Four different Canadian skaters – Béatrice Lamarche, Connor Howe, Isabelle Weidemann and Ted-Jan Bloemen – earned national titles during the second day of the 2025 Canadian Long Track Championships presented by Intact Insurance in Calgary.
Lamarche (Quebec City, Que.) earned her second national title in as many days, adding 1000m gold to yesterday’s 500m crown. The 27-year-old posted a time of 1:14.33, besting Alexa Scott (Clandeboye, Man.) and Brooklyn McDougall (Calgary, Alta.), who finished the distance in 1:15.26 and 1:16.19, respectively.
Friday’s result marked a return to the national podium for Scott, an Olympian from Beijing 2022 that has battled injuries the past few years as she tried to regain her previous form.
Alexa Scott“This feels really great! I feel that I accomplished what I set out to do today. Together, my coach Will Dutton and I really are getting me back on the right path. It’s been a long four years coming back from injury. There were a lot of moments where I didn’t know if I would ever get back to where I wanted to be. I just kept believing in Will and in our IST team, especially Miriam Lewis (physiotherapist) and Dave Paskevich (mental performance consultant). They put in the hard work to get me back here. I’m happy for myself but also for them.”
Howe (Canmore, Alta.) showed that he is still the man to beat in the 1000m, overcoming a slow start to reach the top of the podium with a time of 1:07.45. Yankun Zhao (Calgary, Alta.) and Anders Johnson, a medalists in yesterday’s 500m, brought home silver (1:07.57) and bronze (1:07.82), respectively, edging out a competitive field that saw four skaters complete the distance under the 1:07.00 mark. As was the case in the men’s 500m yesterday, veteran national team skater Laurent Dubreuil (Lévis, Que.) did not participate as he is already prequalified for the distance.
Connor Howe“I’m pretty happy with my race. The start maybe wasn’t quite where I thought I could be, but I just tried to be smooth and keep the speed in the second lap, which is usually my strength. I was watching afterwards, kind of stressed, to see if my time would hold up, and it was just enough!”
Endurance was the theme later Friday afternoon, as the two longest distances of the competition were raced.
Ted-Jan Bloemen blew away the competition in the men’s 10,000m, winning the distance with a time of 12:57.69. Joining the veteran on the podium were Daniel Hall (Calgary, Alta.), silver medalists in the previously contested 5000m, and Aimé Perreault (Lévis, Que.), who posted times of 13:30.66 and 13:49.51.
Things were a bit more competitive in the women’s 5000m, where less than six seconds separated the three medalists. Weidemann’s mark of 6:58.67 earned her gold, ahead of longtime teammates Ivanie Blondin (Ottawa, Ont.), who took home silver with a time of 7:03.51, and Valérie Maltais (La Baie, Que.), who stopped the clock at and 7:04.28 to round out the podium in bronze medal position.
Isabelle Weidemann“It was a bit rough out there today and everyone was fighting it from the beginning. The ice was not forgiving, so I just tried to stay consistent throughout the entire race. I feel strong, excited and ready to race, but still not there yet. I think it’s coming and I’m happy with how I raced today, but it was tough out there. The Olympic season is really long and those of us that have gone through it before a few times are trying to hold back a little bit to make sure we can stay consistent throughout the season.”
The 2025 Canadian Long Track Championships presented by Intact Insurance continue Saturday at the Olympic Oval, with the women’s and men’s 1500m, as well as the second running of the 500m. Races will be live streamed on Speed Skating Canada’s YouTube channel, as well as on CBC Sports and Radio-Canada Sports digital platforms.