Laurent Dubreuil felt “a little flat” Friday, at the opening of the World Cup in Stavanger, Norway.
The long track speed skater was therefore not surprised to finish 12e in the 1000m, even though he was the fastest over the first 600m of this event.
The scenario was repeated for the Lévisien who also lacked energy in Poland to finish fifth in the 1000m. Technical errors in the last 200 meters excluded him from the top 10 this time around.
“I won’t lie, it was not my best race. I was not able to perform exactly what I wanted. I didn’t feel as good physically today (Friday) as I felt last week, ”said Dubreuil, author of a 1 min 9.23 s stopwatch.
It remains that only 0.56 seconds separates him from the Dutchman Thomas Krol and the gold medal. Once again, the representatives of the Netherlands swept the podium on Friday. Krol, who posted a time of 1 min 8.661 s, was accompanied by Kai Verbij (+0.02 seconds) and Kjeld Nuis (+0.08 seconds).
“I knew before the race that I didn’t have great legs so I’m not surprised the time wasn’t as fast as I would have liked. I’m still competitive and still not too far. It’s not a disaster, but it’s clear it’s not my best day. ”
Also in action, Quebecer Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu placed 15e, 0.8 seconds behind the winner.
The competition seems fierce in the 1000m this year, but Laurent Dubreuil firmly believes in his chances of climbing on the podium during the season. “A few years ago, I would have dreamed of being disappointed with a 12e square ! He admitted, while planning to continue his progression.
He will be back in action on Saturday for the 500m, as will Alex Boisvert-Lacroix.
Boisvert-Lacroix and Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu will also be in the team sprint alongside Vincent De Haitre and Gilmore Junio.
A strategic addition
Valérie Maltais started the day with her first 5,000m of the season. She placed third in group B with a time of 7:47:49.
This was an addition to his schedule in order to collect more points in the Olympic 3000m qualification process, where the results obtained in the 5000m will also be counted.
“It went really well and I’m happy with my race. […] My only goal was not to start too fast, which I managed to do and even speed up at the end. There are certainly things to look for in this race that I can bring to my 3000m, ”said the skater from La Baie.
About 90 minutes later, Maltais took his place at the start line of the 1000m. The reigning Canadian champion, she lacked explosiveness and completed the distance in 1 min 18.009 s (+3.84 seconds) to rank 20e rank. American Brittany Bowe won the gold medal, just as she did in Poland last week.
“I did the best I could to recover between races, I felt good, but as soon as I made the start, it was a bit lacking! »Admitted Maltais.
“For my explosiveness to return, we will have to be a little more rested. We’ve done a lot of cycling in the last few weeks. The objective is to train during these World Cups to be rested during the next two, in Salt Lake City and Calgary, ”she concluded.