(Calgary) Valérie Maltais posted the best result of her career placing sixth in the 3000m at the World Cup in Calgary on Friday afternoon. For the second week in a row, the athlete from La Baie went under four minutes (3 min 59.73 s).
“I am concentrating on maintaining a good tempo at the start of the race and that takes confidence. This confidence, I must build it by executing my race plan well. Today was probably the best 3000m of my career. I am extremely happy with it. The former short track specialist climbed to ninth in the long distance standings.
Her teammate Isabelle Weidemann is in first place, she who won the silver thanks to a personal best of 3 min 55.33 s, less than a second behind the gold medalist, the Italian Francesca Lollobrigida. In the men’s 5000m, Ted-Jan Bloemen returned to the podium by taking third place after eighth place in Salt Lake City. Sweden’s Nils van der Poel crushed the competition again for a fourth straight win.
Boisvert-Lacroix back in group A
PHOTO ERICK LABBÉ, ARCHIVES THE SUN
Alex Boisvert-Lacroix
After a difficult start to the season, Alex Boisvert-Lacroix managed a third consecutive quality 500m to take third place in Group B with a time of 34.47 s. He avoided the worst by touching the ice with his hand on the last turn. “Maybe my talents short tracker saved me! This result will allow him to advance to group A for the second 500m on Sunday.
The guy from Sherbrooke was very moved, he who probably played the last World Cup of his career. “My girlfriend, my family, all my friends will be able to see me on television. It’s fun to finish that in Group A, ”he said before stopping to hold back tears. “I did 42 World Cups in long track, five in short track, I spent 15 years in the national team. In fact, of the way. It is certain that I will live this moment 100% on Sunday. ”
His teammate Gilmore Junio, who he was matched to, finished just behind in fourth. With the victory of the Chinese Yang Tao, Junio will not be able to reach the top 20, unlike Boisvert-Lacroix. In all likelihood, therefore, Canada will only have two starters in the 500m at the Beijing Games. Laurent Dubreuil having already qualified, Boisvert-Lacroix and Junio, the only two to have passed the standard, should therefore compete for the only other position at the end of the month in Quebec.
Nervousness for Brunet
Unless Cédrick Brunet also succeeds in the minimum selection on Sunday. At his World Cup baptism, the 21-year-old skater recorded the 25e stopwatch Friday (35.21 s). “I’ll admit it, I was a little nervous, it’s normal for a first international race at the senior level,” commented the athlete from Gatineau. Really, I had good feelings.
“This might not be the time I wanted it to give, but I’m proud of what I did. For a first international race, I couldn’t ask for better. “Brunet considers” very realistic “to reach the time of 34.90 s required by Speed Skating Canada to be considered for the Olympics.