Laurent Dubreuil had warned on Friday that his performance the next day in the 1,000 meters would undoubtedly be affected by fatigue and the cold he has been dragging for a few days. As a matter of fact, he took the 11e rank in the 1000 meters on Saturday morning at the Long Track World Championships in the Netherlands.
Dubreuil, an Olympic silver medalist in this event, delivered a solid first lap, as he is used to. It was in the second round, as he had expected, that his legs gave out. His time of 1 min 08.90 s. placed him at 9e temporary rank, which is rather rare in his case.
Friday, at a press conference after his silver medal in the 500 meters, Dubreuil said he saw this race as “a bonus”. “My season is a clear success, perhaps my best ever. No matter what happens tomorrow, I will be extremely happy, ”added the man who won 11 medals, including 5 gold, in individual distances at the World Cup this season.
The other Quebecer, Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu, did better with a time of 1 min 08.73 s, good for the 7e place.
Like the day before in the 500 meters, it was the young 18-year-old prodigy, American Jordan Stolz, who won everything with a sensational race completed in 1 min 07.11 s. He became the youngest world champion in history in this event.
Dutchman Thomas Krol won the silver medal while Briton Cornelius Kersten took the bronze.