Despite his fourth place in the 500m at the Four Continents Championships on Wednesday, Christopher Fiola looked disappointed in videoconferencing. He hoped to take advantage of his presence in Calgary to achieve the Olympic standard of 34.9 sec imposed by Speed Skating Canada, without success.
“I was not very satisfied with my race. It’s been a few times (this year) that I spend close to making time and I thought I had it in me today (Wednesday). It’s flat because I wanted to take advantage of the ice speed of Calgary, but I still have the chance to recover, ”said from the start the one who stopped the clock at 34.926 s.
Provisionally second behind Yevgeniy Koshkin (34, 909 s), Fiola saw the last two skaters of the event surpass the time of the Kazakh and at the same time was excluded from the podium. American Austin Kleba (34, 823 s) and South Korean Min Kyu Cha (34, 839 s) finished first and second respectively.
“The wait was long, but the podium was not very important, it was mainly for the weather. I thought I had it, but I’ll have to recover, ”continued the 25-year-old, adding that conditions were“ far from optimal ”for the occasion.
“I arrived in Calgary just two days ago and my preparation was short. Also, I was thinking of skating with the South Korean, but the pairs changed at the last minute and that unsettled me a bit. Finally, I practically skated alone in my start. ”
Also in the 500m, Cédrick Brunet also had a difficult outing. The Gatineau resident finished in 35, 278 s, a good time for eighth place in the general classification.
A little later, the two Quebecers took part in the team sprint alongside Albertan Frank Roth. The Canadian trio were however disqualified at the end of this event, as were the formation of Kazakhstan. It was the Americans who triumphed in front of the South Koreans (+1.52 seconds). The third step of the podium remained vacant.
Make way for the Olympic selections
Christopher Fiola and Cédrick Brunet will have one last chance to meet Speed Skating Canada’s qualifying criteria. Everything will be played out on December 27, at the Quebec Ice Center, where the Canadian Olympic selections will be presented.
“It will probably be more difficult than in Calgary, but I still have time to improve. There will be no travel and the competition will be at home, so that should help a bit. Also, I will be skating in front of my family and friends, so that should give an extra boost, ”Fiola concluded by way of conclusion.
Two skaters will be able to represent the country over this distance at the Beijing Olympics. The Canadian federation will decide among the athletes having achieved the famous time of 34.9 s and according to the results of the Canadian Olympic selections.
However, a place remains available. First in the general classification of the World Cup and author of eight podiums in the 500m, Laurent Dubreuil has already ensured his presence in China.