Valérie Maltais finished seventh in the mass start last week in Stavanger, Norway, and she was determined to improve on that result as quickly as possible.
It’s mission accomplished for the Saguenéenne who finished fifth Friday in Heerenveen, in the Netherlands, while she was in the race for a place on the podium until the very end. This is the best result of his career in this specialty.
“I’m really happy with my race. I practiced my patience to be fit in the final sprint. The goal was to do things that would give me confidence and that part was successful. It won’t necessarily always be my strategy, but it’s good to see that I’m able to be there and sprint at the very end,” said Maltais via videoconference.
Dutchwoman Irene Schouten pleased the supporters present at the Thialf by winning the race almost a lap ahead of her pursuers. Schouten was able to cross the finish line with his arms up in the air, to thunderous applause.
Valérie Maltais found herself behind in a group of five skaters who all hoped to end their day with a medal. Despite accelerating at the end of the race, Maltais (+18.81 seconds) was unable to reach the podium.
I didn’t go for the sprints today and saved my legs for the end of the race. I stayed in the lead pack to react, but I didn’t necessarily initiate the moves. I always placed myself well and I read the reactions of the other girls well.
Valerie Maltais
“I surprised myself a few times, especially when I overtook an American at the very end. I’m going to have to work on that, not to be surprised to be in the lead pack at the end of the race! Coming back to Quebec, I will work on my speed in the tight corners to improve my chances,” she added.
Marijke Groenewoud completed the Dutch double by taking the silver medal (+18.21 seconds). Just behind Groenewoud, Ottawa’s Ivanie Blondin (+18.23 seconds) added a bronze medal to her collection.
Laurent Dubreuil hampered by a fall
PHOTO YAN DOUBLET, LE SOLEIL ARCHIVES
Laurent Dubreuil
After winning two silver medals last weekend in Stavanger, Laurent Dubreuil was not as successful on his first outing in Heerenveen. The 30-year-old athlete had to settle for 10e rank in 1000 m.
Paired with American Jordan Stolz, Dubreuil got off to an excellent start that put him virtually in first place. However, he was hampered by the fall of Stolz who passed directly in front of him before ending up in the protective wall.
Stolz’s misadventure forced Dubreuil to put both skates on the ground for a brief moment, enough to cause him to lose a few fractions of a second that proved to be crucial.
“The fall made me hesitate and it made me slow down a bit. I feel like I had the legs to be on the podium today and I had an excellent race plan. I thought the pair was perfect for me, but ended up being the worst pair possible. I was very unlucky, but at least we were able to avoid the collision,” said Dubreuil.
It’s annoying because I think I was on my way to a very good race. In real time, it’s happening so fast that you don’t know how much time you’ve wasted. I was almost hoping for a miracle, but I suspected that it was going to be difficult to come back from this.
Laurent Dubreuil
In the same discipline, Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu finished 15e rank (+1.13 seconds). The event was won by the Chinese Zhongyan Ning who was accompanied on the podium by the Dutchman Joep Wennemars (+0.22 seconds) and the Estonian Marten Liiv (+0.25 seconds).
Despite its 10e place, Dubreuil is third in the provisional general classification in the 1000m with 85 points. He is tied with Joep Wennemars, while Zhongyan Ning is alone in the lead with 96 points.
Dubreuil will have the chance to recover quickly. He will be back on the track on Saturday for the presentation of the 500m. The Lévisien admits, however, that he will not forget his outing on Friday so easily.
“I’m looking forward to the 500m, that’s for sure. On the other hand, even if I win, it doesn’t give me the result I could have had today. We move on to tomorrow and I hope everything will go well, ”he concluded.
For her part, Béatrice Lamarche placed seventh in the 1000m in division B. She stopped the clock at 1 min 17.799 s, or 1.64 seconds behind the winner, the Japanese Ayano Sato. Still in Group B, Christopher Fiola completed his 1000m in 1:10.363 to finish 18the rank (+1.56 seconds).
The Heerenveen Long Track Speed Skating World Cup continues until Sunday.