Quebecer Dubreuil wins the national title in the men’s 500m in long track speed skating

Laurent Dubreuil fought his way to the title of national champion in the men’s 500 meters long track speed skating event on Thursday.

« Today’s race was exceptional, » said Dubreuil. « I couldn’t believe my time when I crossed the finish line. It was probably the best race of my career, but I think I have what it takes to do even better. I have the legs to perform well this season and I can’t wait to see what happens next. »

Dubreuil, 30, won silver in the 1,000 meters at the Beijing Olympics in February, days after missing the 500m podium by 0.03 seconds.

He became Canada’s first world champion in the 500m since 2008 when he won gold in 2021.

Weidemann finishes on top

In the women’s 3,000 metres, Isabelle Weidemann won the gold medal with a time of 4:00.206, edging teammates Ivanie Blondin (4:06.133) of Ottawa and Valérie Maltais (4:07.369) of Saguenay, Que. The trio won gold together at the Beijing Games in the team pursuit.

« I’m really happy with my race today. I wanted to be aggressive and stick to that plan, » said the Ottawa native. « I was quite nervous at the start of the race, but happy that things went well. »

Hailing from Prince George, BC, Carolina Hiller won her first national title with a win in the women’s 500m. Hiller crossed the finish line with a time of 38.420.

Calgary’s Brooklyn McDougall took silver (38.599), while Blondin took bronze (38.953).