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There are rivalries in sport that deliver out the most effective in each combatants. Laurent Dubreuil versus Jordan Stolz has develop into a type of in lengthy monitor pace skating.
In yet one more battle on ice between the pace demons on Friday, it was the American Stolz who got here out on prime over the Canadian Dubreuil, profitable the lads’s 500-metre race through the ISU world championships in Calgary in a time of 33.69, a private finest for the 19-year-old. Dubreuil, 31, completed only a shade slower, 33.95, on the Olympic Oval. Damian Zurek of Poland was third, in 34.11.
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“It was an excellent race, probably the greatest of my life,” stated Dubreuil, the previous 500m king from Levis, Que. “The perfect begin I ever had, 9.45. In opposition to the most effective skater of no less than our era, it’s very robust to remain centered however I’m very pleased with it.
“It’s been two years in a row I’ve received silver and he’s received gold fairly comfortably. Truthfully, I don’t thoughts it. We’re there for peak efficiency and he’s pushing the bounds of the human physique and his physique is a bit higher than my physique clearly. I’m having an excellent season however let’s be sensible. My years are working out quicker than his. If we will contemplate this a rivalry, then I’m a really, excellent skater as a result of he’s on one other planet by himself.”
Dubreuil has overwhelmed Stolz this season, however the latter has received the final 4 races.
“I believe it’s actually good,” the quiet-spoken Stolz stated of the rivalry. “It’s going to create some good competitions subsequent yr, too. We’ll see the way it goes three weeks within the all-arounds. He’s a very good skater and I really feel if I can stick with him within the opener, it’d be a very good time.”
Stolz — the youngest single distance world champ in historical past in 2023 — will defend his titles within the 1000m and 1500m this weekend.
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Calgary’s Yankun Zhao, showing in his first worlds, posted a time of 34.65 to complete seventeenth.
Within the girls’s group pursuit, the Canadian contingent of Valerie Maltais of Saguenay, Que., and Ottawa’s Ivanie Blondin and Isabelle Weidemann skated to a silver medal, unable to eclipse the swiftness of the Dutch girls — Pleasure Beune, Irene Schouten and Marijke Groenewoud — who crossed the end in 2:51.20. Canada threw down a 2:54.03.
The Canadians altered their technique simply earlier than the race, with Maltais within the entrance and the taller Weidemann citing the rear.
“Simply attempting various things,” defined Blondin. “Right now I believe we nailed our race plan. It wasn’t as quick clearly because the Dutch and that’s somewhat bit bitter, however that’s okay. We’ve to construct on this. The purpose isn’t essentially this weekend; the purpose is sooner or later on the subsequent Olympics.”
The group’s synchronicity is its biggest asset.
“Staying collectively and skating with a very good circulate,” steered Blondin. “We’re attempting to determine when to punch it, how exhausting can we go firstly … all these various things we’re nonetheless attempting to determine with the brand new technique. It’s rising pains with attempting various things.”
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“I believe one in every of our strengths as a group is also that we’ve got actually good communication,” added Maltais. “We will determine it out, watch the race and say brazenly how we really feel and the way we could be higher. On ice, we’re good and off ice, we’re good collectively.”
The boys’s group pursuit had the Canadian trio of Connor Howe of Canmore, Antoine Gelinas-Beaulieu of Sherbrooke, Que., and Toronto’s Hayden Mayeur main early, however the remaining pairing of the competitors noticed a fired-up Italian squad of Andrea Giovannini, Davide Ghiotto and Michele Malfatti set a monitor document — 3:35.00 — en path to their gold-medal victory. Norway, in 3:36.07, took second whereas Canada (3:36.73) held on to bronze.
It was solely the second time the Canadians skated collectively this yr, with Mayeur specializing in his well being within the first half of the season. The three had completed final yr off with a world championship silver.
“It’s fairly unimaginable,” Mayeur admitted. “We received an opportunity to get the group again collectively for 4 Continents (in Salt Lake Metropolis in January) to type of shake the jitters off and now we’re right here, standing on the rostrum on the world championships once more this season. Fairly stoked and all issues thought-about, there’s a whole lot of potential trying ahead to the following two seasons and the 2026 Olympic Video games.”
The Dutch added yet one more gold to their haul within the girls’s 500m, with Femke Kok profitable that dash in a time of 36.83. Second was Korea’s Min-Solar Kim in 37.19, intently adopted by American Kimi Goetz, 37.21. The Canadians participating had been Carolina Hiller in twentieth and Heather Carruthers, twenty third.
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