(Calgary) A Quebec coach was very satisfied after the long track speed skating World Cup in Calgary on Sunday. And not only that of Laurent Dubreuil.
Gabriel Girard led the Americans to the first double in their team pursuit history. The men won the gold, the women the bronze. For her part, Mia Kilberg won silver in the mass start. World record holder and Olympic bronze medalist in the 1000m, Brittany Bowe, finished 11e upon his return to competition.
At the Beijing Olympics last winter, the US men’s pursuit team captured bronze after setting the world mark two months earlier.
From the stands, Gregor Jelonek, Dubreuil’s coach, gave his former skater a thumbs up. A few days later, it was Girard’s turn to congratulate his ex-coach for the silver medal won by Dubreuil in the 1000m, a first for Jelonek.
“He was like thunderstruck! », remembered Girard with amusement, Sunday, before the last day of competition in Calgary. “He took me and shook me like that, he was so excited. It’s as if he needed a lightning rod. »
Originally from Portneuf, Girard was in his second experience at the Games. In PyeongChang in 2018, his German protege Patrick Beckert finished seventh in the 10,000m, a disappointment for the bronze medalist from previous Worlds.
At the time, the bachelor’s degree in physical education at Université Laval divided his time between coaching and replacement in elementary schools in Montreal. After his return from South Korea, the Chinese federation hired him as a national team skater recruitment and development coach based in Calgary in preparation for the Beijing Games.
The experience was not very happy. The Quebecer has bad memories of competitions and talent scouting activities in remote regions of China.
“We spent 40 days in the middle of nowhere. We were a bit like at a cattle fair in the sense that we were going to recruit athletes who were chosen by their numbers. It was ridiculous. It’s so toxic and unhealthy how they treat their athletes. »
After a year, Girard therefore returned to teaching in a francophone elementary school in Calgary. An unexpected call from US Speedskating, who had heard good words about his two years for professional teams in the Netherlands, brought him back on two blades. The Americans were looking for help after coach Ryan Shimabukuro suffered a cardiac arrest.
The new challenge
He and his wife packed their assets in a truck, put their car on a trailer and crossed the United States in the middle of a storm to Salt Lake City. In Shimabukuro’s absence, Girard inherited the entire group.
I was well received. Only, when there are veterans with whom you are only two years apart in age, the conversation is different.
Gabriel Girard
At the start of the pandemic, Girard and his wife made a “bet” to stay in Utah, unsure if they would be able to return home after a visit to Canada.
“The isolation started, and we had two years of preparation for the team pursuit. We broke the world record [masculin] in Salt Lake City last year and the track record here a week later. »
For the Beijing Games, veteran Joey Mantia had to delay his arrival due to a COVID-19 infection. His blades also got lost in the journey.
Under the circumstances, Girard is delighted with the bronze medal obtained by his three proteges, who beat the powerful Dutch.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY GABRIEL GIRARD
Ethan Cepuran, Gabriel Girard, Emery Lehman and Casey Dawson
“For some people, a gold medal at the world championships is more valuable, but I will take any color of Olympic medal before that. It’s a specific moment for four-year-olds, it’s quite exceptional. »
After Beijing, where the Americans won three podiums, a peak since 2010, Girard re-engaged for another four years “in exchange for a green card” for his wife and him. Shimabukuro focuses on sprints, while he is responsible for distances from 1500m, pursuit and mass starts.
“Brittany Bowe joined my group this year. We started slow in June, then she was sick for a month in September. The idea is to stretch [sa carrière] for four years. She will be 37 in 2026.”
Explore Stolz
PHOTO JAN KARE NESS, NTB ARCHIVES
Jordan Stolz
At 37, Gabriel Girard is curious to witness the emergence of Jordan Stolz, a young 18-year-old prodigy whom Dubreuil describes as “the most talented skater of the last 50 years”.
“The most talented since Eric Heiden, without a doubt,” Dubreuil said, referring to the five-time gold medalist at the 1980 Lake Placid Games.
In Norway last month, Stolz became the youngest winner of a men’s individual World Cup event. His 1.76-second lead over second-placed Canadian Connor Howe was bigger than the gap between Howe and 16eDutchman Thomas Krol.
After stripping Dubreuil of his junior world record in the 500m, Stolz became the third-youngest American skater in history to qualify for the Olympics last winter. He is currently preparing to play his first Junior Worlds, where he will obviously aim for a maximum of titles in February.
Stolz still lives with his parents in Milwaukee, where he trains under former Heiden teammate Bob Corby. Girard sees nothing but positives, although US Speedskating would like to see him settle permanently in Salt Lake City.
“He hasn’t finished high school, you have to let him go a bit, opined the technician from Portneuf. It’s a phenomenon. He reminds me a lot of Laurent. After his junior world record, it took him 10 years to win an Olympic medal. So you have to be careful and not put too much pressure on him. The Olympic Games are something else, the pressure is immense. And many things can happen in four years. »
Girard knows something about it, he who has not had the opportunity to set foot in his native Quebec for four years. Perhaps he will be the one to guide Stolz in the Milan team pursuit in 2026.