Three Canadians earn top 10 spots in long-track speedskating World Cup

By: The Canadian Press Posted: 12:28 PM CST Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018 Last Modified: 3:47 PM CST Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018

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TOMASZOW MAZOWIECKI, Poland - Canadians Heather McLean, Laurent Dubreuil and Antoine Gelinas-Beaulieu earned top 10 finishes in their respective distances on Saturday, the second day of the World Cup long-track speedskating event in Poland.

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This article was published 08/12/2018 (2820 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TOMASZOW MAZOWIECKI, Poland – Canadians Heather McLean, Laurent Dubreuil and Antoine Gelinas-Beaulieu earned top 10 finishes in their respective distances on Saturday, the second day of the World Cup long-track speedskating event in Poland.

McLean, from Winnipeg, earned her best result of the season in the 500 metres on Saturday, a seventh-place finish in the 500 metres (2) with a time of 38.682 seconds. It was an improvement on the 11th place (39.007) result she skated in Friday’s 500 metres (1).

“I have spent this season slowly, but surely, rebuilding my approach to training and racing,” said McLean. “I am very proud of today’s 500 metres and looking forward to more racing this season.”

Women in traditional dresses watch Nico Ihle of Germany and Laurent Dubreuil,left, of Canada during a men's 500-meter division A heat at the speedskating World Cup at the Arena-Lodowa Speed Skating Stadium, in Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Poland, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Dubreuil, from Levis, Que. posted a time of 35.344 in the men’s 500 metres (2). While the time was identical to the one he skated a day earlier in the 500 metres (1), the ninth place result was much better than his previous 12th place finish.

“It was an okay race for me,” said Dubreuil. “I was just missing a little something on my start. With a little more speed off the start my turns would be better and I would have more momentum. I think I can reach the podium if I just speed up my start.”

Gelinas-Beaulieu, from Sherbrooke, Que., clocked in at 1:48.919 in the men’s 1,500 metres, earning him an eighth-place finish, which surpassed his two previous World Cup results of the season. Teammate David La Rue of Saint-Lambert, Que. was disqualified from the same distance for wearing an incorrect armband.

“An eighth-place finish is a personal best for me,” said Gelinas-Beaulieu. “My race went very well. I had a bit of a slip and my blade picked the ice during the first turn, so my start wasn’t the best, but I was able to regain some speed and maintain it until the end of the race.”