BASELGA DI PINE, Italy. - Canada finished fourth in the men's 3,200-metre pursuit Sunday at a World Cup long-track speedskating event.
The competition was the season's first held outdoors this season but was marred by deteriorating ice conditions.
Norway won the men's pursuit with a time of tree minutes 53.10 seconds. The Netherlands was second in 3:53.38, with Russia third in 3:53.47.
The Canadian team of Steven Elm of Red Deer, Alta., and Justin Warsylewicz and Lucas Makowsky, both of Regina, had a time of 3:53.66.
"We could have won the race," said Canadian national team coach Marcel Lacroix. "We made a mistake with three laps to go and lost a lot of time.
"Our pursuits are usually pretty smooth so this was a good learning experience for us."
The final race of the season will be held in three weeks and will ultimately decide the overall title. Canada and Norway are tied for first with 240 points each.
Russia won the women's 2,400-metre pursuit in 3:11.62. Japan was second in 3:11.91 with Poland third in 3:15.97. The Canadian squad of Ottawa's Kristina Groves, Christine Nesbitt of London, Ont., and Winnipeg's Brittany Schussler was seventh.
Elm and Jay Morrison of Fort St. John, B.C., were eighth and ninth, respectively, in the men's 1,500-metre race while Francois-Olivier Roberge of St-Nicolas, Que., was 16th. Nicole Garrido of Edmonton was 16th in the women's 3,000-metre event.
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