(Calgary) Laurent Dubreuil was talking to reporters when Kjeld Nuis walked past him. The triple Dutch Olympic champion, who had just watched the 1000 meters from the stands, brought his thumb and index finger closer to attract the attention of the Quebecer.
The thin space represented the two-hundredths of a second that Dubreuil had missed to clinch his first victory over the distance, Sunday afternoon, at the World Cup in Calgary.
“The end of the race is difficult for me! “Defended Dubreuil.
“You stopped three lines before the finishretorted Nuis, referring to the blue markings that precede the red finish line.
“I know, I should have aimed for the line…
Regrets, Dubreuil had some after crossing the said line, noting the narrow gap which separated him from the Dutchman Hein Otterspeer, winner of the event in 1 min 07.28. Author of a time of 1 min 07.30, the skater from Lévis put his hands on his head before removing his hood, a sorry smile on his face.
Of course I would have liked to win. When you see that you are two hundredths from the leader… I slapped myself on the thigh. It was more rage than anything.
Laurent Dubreuil
At that time, only one pair had yet to start. The Estonian Liiv and the Chinese Ning, two serious customers, failed to threaten the time of the first three.
Sitting on a bench in the center of the ring, Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu, holder of the third fastest time, put his hands on his head. For him, it was a gesture of disbelief after having confirmed that he won bronze, the first individual medal of his career in the World Cup.
PHOTO JEFF MCINTOSH, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu competing in Calgary on Sunday
The native of Sherbrooke fell into the arms of Muncef Ouardi, an Olympic skater who is having his first experience on the circuit as coach of the Canadian team, while Gregor Jelonek holds the fort in Quebec. An outpouring embellished with the encouragement of a small but enthusiastic audience.
“It was ultra tight,” said Gélinas-Beaulieu, who had to wait for the last five pairs before being able to celebrate.
“There were two hundredths of a second between each of the top four. Until the very end, my heart was beating fast. I watched and each time I was like, “YesI am making a top 10, yesI am making a top 5…” Seeing the two red blocks on the scoreboard confirming that I was on the podium was a great moment of joy. »
Four hours of sleep…
Ironically, Gélinas-Beaulieu had chosen to put the 1,000m aside when training resumed in the spring, preferring to focus on the 1,500m, 5,000m and the mass start, his real hobby. However, a breakage of equipment at the national selections excluded him from this last event.
The 1000m was more of an afterthought. […] I didn’t practice my starts or my speed that much. But I surprised myself; I had my best opening ever and an excellent first round. After 600 meters I already knew that if I just stayed in the wake of Piotr [Michalski]I would have an excellent race.
Antoine Gelinas-Beaulieu
His time of 1:07.32 is the second of his career, seven hundredths from his personal benchmark set in 2020 on the fastest ice in the world in Salt Lake City.
The silver medalist in Friday’s team pursuit feared for a while that he wouldn’t be able to make it to the start line on Sunday. Victim of a second asthma attack after his 5000m the day before, he only managed to sleep four hours.
“I was wondering: is it worth going there if I have another big asthma attack? This morning, I was coughing a lot, my breath was very short. »
A slight change in his medication, prescribed by the team doctor, restored his confidence in his lung capacity.
Here he is, a medalist for the second time at this level after the bronze at the mass start at the 2020 Worlds.
It’s the fun, a medal at the mass start, it shows that you managed to pull yourself up in front of a lot of other people at that time. But to do that on an individual distance, it shows that you really executed a race at the height. It was not a fluke or just a good decision that I made. It gives confidence for the future.
Antoine Gelinas-Beaulieu
Sharing this success with his teammate, an athlete of the same age whom he has measured up to since he was 13 or 14, obviously made the moment “exceptional”.
“When I was younger, it was the 1500 meters, but now the 1000 meters is still the distance where we overlap. Laurent has incredible speed. He’s pretty much the fastest man in the world right now in speed skating. To see that I can be close to him, hug him, it shows that even if I don’t have the same racing style, I can have good potential. It’s inspiring to stand on the podium with him. »
“A lot of people will be proud”
Dubreuil recalled the “winding” journey of his friend, who stopped a few years after a bad experience with the national team in short track. “He started again five or six years ago and he worked hard to get there. I am very happy for him. I always believed that Antoine had what it took to win individual medals. »
Achieving the feat with him is almost unexpected. “It’s really a historic day,” he said. I think a lot of people will be proud in the world of skating in Quebec. »
In his more than 10-year international career, Dubreuil has shared the podium with a compatriot only once. He and William Dutton of Regina finished second and third respectively at the Salt Lake City World Cup in 2016.
True Gerry Rochon of his sport, Dubreuil did not remember that two Quebecers were on the podium together before Sunday. His father Robert, general manager of the provincial federation, came to the rescue to recall that Sylvain Bouchard (gold) and Patrick Bouchard (silver), who are not related, succeeded in the 500m in Milwaukee in 1998 .
Gold medalist the day before in the 500m, Dubreuil had “one of the best weekends of his career” in Calgary. “I have already won three silver medals, but then there were two 500m [par compétition]. I have never won gold and silver in two different distances. »
Now the overall leader in both events, he now wants to keep the lead and win the two titles at the World Championships in the Netherlands at the end of the season. As a good sprinter, he got off to a good start.