Graeme Fish earns 5000m title for first time since 2019; Ivanie Blondin brings home 3000m crown
QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC – Laurent Dubreuil and Carolina Hiller defended their respective 500m national titles on opening day of the 2024 Canadian Long Track Championships presented by Intact Insurance in Quebec City. Ivanie Blondin and Graeme Fish were also victorious during Thursday’s racing at the Centre de glace Intact Assurance.
Hometown favourite Dubreuil (Lévis, Que) topped the 500m podium on the men’s side for the fifth consecutive season, brining home gold with a time of 34.721. The reigning World Championship silver medalist in the distance was joined on the podium by Calgary’s Yankun Zhao, who posted a time of 35.039 to earn the first Canadian Championship medal of his young career, as well as Anders Johnson (Burnaby, B.C.), who brought home bronze with a time of 35.194.
Laurent Dubreuil“It was a good race overall. I had a great start at 9.57, but my lap was a bit too aggressive. I probably could have skated a bit more relaxed. But 34.7 is still very good. It’s a similar time to what I skated at last season’s World Cup here in Quebec City, but it’s the start of the season and only my first race. I’m really happy with my fitness level too. Having the power to start in 9.5 seconds is always a good thing to see. Now I just havae to skate a bit more relaxed and be more efficient in my lap so that the speed comes easier.”
It was a similar result on the women’s side, as Hiller (Prince George, B.C.), a two-time world champion in the Team Sprint, claimed her third straight 500m title with a time of 38.631. Local product Béatrice Lamarche (Quebec City, Que.) earned silver in 38.949, ahead of Ivanie Blondin (Ottawa, Ont.), who snuck onto the podium after posting a 39.051 in the final pair of the evening.
Carolina Hiller“Being national champion in the 500m for the third year in-a-row is pretty exciting and I’m proud of myself. Overall, I am really proud of how I skated today. There were a few parts that were a little sloppy, so I’m looking forward to cleaning that up tomorrow in the 1000m.”
A pair of long-distance titles were also up for grabs during the first day of racing, and with perennial champions Isabelle Weidemann and Ted-Jan Bloemen both pre-qualified for the fall World Cups, the battle for the remaining spots was even more intense.
Blondin earned her second medal of the day, this time winning gold in the women’s 3000m with a time of 4:10.038. Last year’s national champion in the distance, Valérie Maltais (La Baie, Que.), settled for a second-place finish (4:11.326), while Laura Hall (Salmon Arm, B.C.) earned some hardware at the Canadian Championships for the first time in her career (4:12.143).
Ivanie Blondin“It was a little bit slower than I wanted it to. I made one little mistake of wanting to take a draft and it slowed my speed down a bit. I was in a bit of a lazy mindset because I have so many races to do this week. But all in all, I am happy with the end results and accomplished what I set out to do. This was my first full 3000m race of the year and I’m looking to build off of that going forward.”
Fish (Moose Jaw, Sask.) dominated his competition, crossing the line in 6:21.793 to capture the 5000m national title, his first in the distance since 2019. Daniel Hall (Calgary, Alta.), a three-time medalist at the World Junior Championships, earned a silver medal finish with a time of 6:32.403, while middle distance specialist Connor Howe (Canmore, Alta.) won bronze (6:41.150).
Graeme Fish“It was a pretty well executed race. My main focus was to execute my race plan and give it my best effort. I just wanted to out there and race my best, and it worked out well for me. Getting back into race season is fun, and tomorrow is the 10,000m, so I’m pretty excited for that.”
The 2024 Canadian Long Track Championships presented by Intact Insurance continue tomorrow with the women’s 1000m-1 and 5000m, as well as the men’s 1000m-1 and 10,000m. Races will be live streamed on CBC Sports digital platforms and Speed Skating Canada’s YouTube channel.