(Calgary) Laurent Dubreuil woke up with his thighs like concrete on Sunday morning in Calgary.
But he still had two missions to accomplish before allowing himself a final break before the final straight to the Beijing Olympics.
First, to continue his streak of podiums in the 500m in the World Cup. Then, secure your place in the 1000m for the Games.
He was hot – and very badly! – but the long track speed skater ticked both goals on this last day of competition on the ice of the Olympic Oval.
In the 500m, Dubreuil snatched the bronze medal to stand on the podium for the eighth in a row in four World Cups this fall.
“It’s pretty incredible, I would never have bet on it,” admitted the Quebecer, whose record for podiums in a season was five in 2014-2015. He had reached this total in six competitions by then.
The plateau is strong, too. It’s not that the guys aren’t moving forward. It’s stronger than it’s ever been in history.
Laurent Dubreuil
Two days after his breathtaking 33.77 second that put him second all-time, Dubreuil clocked 34.06, his third in life. Russian Viktor Mushtakov won his first gold of the season in 33.90, a personal high. Japan’s Yuma Murakami took bronze in 33.99.
“Today was physical, I felt worse than the day before yesterday, he analyzed. I felt very stiff in my hamstrings, I don’t know why. ”
” I can not explain it “
Paired with Russian Arefeyev in the last pair, the Canadian says he was disturbed by a delay of a few minutes to repair a hole in his lane. The slight drop in body temperature and the gentle breeze created by previous skaters, which fell, potentially cost him a few hundredths, estimated the world champion.
“Unless it was really a big hole, I would have preferred they left it like that and got us out on time.” […] It wasn’t ideal, but at least I was able to respond well. ”
The leader in the World Cup standings admitted that good fortune may have favored him as well. China’s Tingyu Gao, silver medalist on Friday, withdrew for an unknown reason on Sunday. With the same weather, he would also not have done better than fifth two days earlier.
“Being able to win eight medals in eight races, I can’t explain it. I couldn’t have aimed for that [avant le début de la saison]. The margin of error is so fine, there is a little bit of luck in that. Sometimes you have a really good race and you finish fourth. ”
With two gold, two silver and four bronze medals, the 29-year-old athlete concludes the campaign in first place in the standings. With 420 points, he easily edged the Japanese Wataru Morishige (351) and Tatsuya Shinhama (346).
After the podium ceremony, Dubreuil had less than an hour and a half to restart for the 1000m. Frankly, he wasn’t the most enthusiastic about taking the start in this heart-wrenching distance for this pure sprinter. “It didn’t tempt me anymore, I would have done without!” […] But I am able to cringe, I am a professional. ”
Fifth in the World Cup standings, he had to stay in the top eight in order to prequalify at this distance for the Beijing Games.
True to his habit, he was the fastest in the 600m, but he faltered on the last lap, pushing him back to eighth. In the end, he fell only one step in the cumulative of the season, which ensures him to skate in this event at the Beijing Games.
In all likelihood, he will therefore not line up for the Quebec selections in two weeks.
“I can really focus on my preparation without having to be good in two weeks. It was ideal, I am very satisfied with it, even if none of my 1000m this year has been super good. It was enough to achieve my goal over this distance. ”
Zhongyan Ning took gold in 1:06.65, a first for a Chinese in this event. The young American Justin Stoltz, 17, continued his irresistible ascent by clinching the silver in 1 min 06.96. Russian Mushtakov completed the podium, his second of the day. Sixth, Connor Howe was the best Canadian.
Medalist in the 1000m at the last two Worlds, Dubreuil (1 min 07.33) thinks he can be a contender in Beijing in two months, especially as the race will be contested six days after the 500m.
” Everything can happen. The gaps are not wide. I’m three tenths from the medal, although the best Dutch weren’t there. It’s very legitimate to think of cutting that. I am especially happy to be able to prepare myself in an ideal way, without sacrificing anything to rank in the 1000m. ”
Dubreuil will rest with his family next week before restarting the machine. “You can win a medal at the Olympics, that’s the ultimate goal,” recalled his coach Gregor Jelonek earlier this week. In terms of results and preparation, it looks great. But the focus remains on the month of February. There is still a lot of work to do. We will not be fully satisfied as long as the objective has not been achieved. ”
Eight podiums
With silver from Ivanie Blondin in the mass start and bronze from Ted-Jan Bloemen, Connor Howe and Jordan Belchos in the team pursuit on Sunday, Canada closed the World Cup in Calgary with a total of eight medals. .