Maltais crushes 1500m personal best by nearly two seconds in B Division action; Olympic Oval hosts four different distances tomorrow to conclude second Olympic qualifier of the season

CALGARY, ALBERTA – Laurent Dubreuil and Ivanie Blondin were the top Canadians during the second day of ISU World Cup Speed Skating action in Calgary, managing top 10 results in the 500m and 1500m, respectively.

Dubreuil (Lévis, Que.) posted a time of 34.29 in the men’s 500m, placing him 0.30 seconds behind surprise gold medal winner Jun-Ho Kim of Korea (33.99). Jenning De Boo of the Netherlands (+0.031) and Jordan Stolz of the United States (+0.038) rounded out the podium, posting near identical times in this the first of two 500m races this weekend.

“I feel good physically to be posting those kinds of times, but I think I need to tweak my technique to figure something out. I feel like I am there, withing striking distance, but I haven’t been able to do it yet. If you look at my record the last 6 years, it’s definitely a terrible start to the season for me, but the times aren’t that bad.”

Laurent Dubreuil

Despite posting times of 34.05 and 34.09 last weekend in Salt Lake City, the 33-year-old sprinter – who finished last season ranked second overall in the distance behind Stolz – only managed an eighth and eleventh place finish during those first two 500m races of the World Cup season.

“My times last week use to get you medals in Salt Lake City not that long ago. I feel the field has gotten a lot better and I’m not at the top of my game right now. It’s frustrating for today, but I’m not worried for what is to come in a few months. My physical condition is good, and I know it’s just about finding the right feel on the ice, and I’ve got plenty of time to do that.”

Laurent Dubreuil

Blondin (Ottawa, Ont.) was the top Canadian female skater on Saturday, finishing tenth in the 1500m with a time of 1:53.79. Dutch skater Joy Beune (1:51.17) stood atop the podium, alongside Japan’s Miho Takagi (+0.51) and American Brittany Bowe (+0.67). The 35-year-old Blondin came eleventh in the same distance at the season opener and has also cracked the top 10 with a pair of eighth place results in the women’s 3000m.

Saturday’s racing came to an exciting end with veteran Valérie Maltais (La Baie, Que.) posting a time of 1:52.56 in the women’s 1500m B Division, crushing her previous best of 1:54.080 by a substantial margin. The 35-year-old’s time, which was the eleventh fastest on the circuit this season, would have placed her sixth in A Division earlier this afternoon.

Dubreuil, Blondin, Maltais and dozens of their teammates will be chasing the podium as the ISU World Cup Speed Skating in Calgary comes to an end Sunday, where medals will be awarded in the men’s and women’s 500m-2, Mass Start and Team Pursuit, as well as the Mixed Relay. Races will be live streamed on CBC Sport and Radio-Canada Sports digital platforms starting at 1:00pm MT.

Don’t miss your chance to experience the mind-blowing speed and cheer on Canada’s very best in person, with ticketing options are available for both die-hard and casual fans. General Admission tickets start at $15 for kids and $20 for adults, while Premium Tickets can be purchased for only $40. Visit www.speedskating.ca/calgary2025 for more information.

Results

Women’s 500m

Béatrice Lamarche: 14th
Carolina Hiller-Donnelly: 18th
Brooklyn McDougall: 5th (Division B)
Maddison Pearman: 10th (Division B)
Rose Laliberté-Roy: 19th (Division B)

Men’s 500m

Laurent Dubreuil: 10th
Christopher Fiola: 14th
Cédrick Brunet: 16th
Anders Johnson: 5th (Division B)
Yankun Zhao: 10th (Division B)

Women’s 1500m

Ivanie Blondin: 10th
Béatrice Lamarche: 17th
Valérie Maltais: 1st (Division B)
Isabelle Weidemann: 11th (Division B)
Alexa Scott: 15th (Division B)

Men’s 1500m

Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu: 14th
David La Rue: 18th
Ryan Kulbacki: 19th (Division B)
Tyson Langelaar: 29th (Division B)