Laura Hall claimed her first-ever title at the Canadian long track championships, seizing the opportunity presented by a weakened field of speed skaters on Friday. In the absence of seasoned competitors Isabelle Weidemann and Ivanie Blondin, Hall, a 23-year-old from Salmon Arm, B.C., faced a challenge from Valérie Maltais but managed to outpace the reigning Olympic bronze medalist, crossing the finish line in 4 minutes 8.282 seconds.
Expressing her joy at the victory, Hall stated, “Obviously, there are some girls that aren’t here that have been contenders in the past, but I’m still super happy to have been able to win. It’s a good way to start the weekend and hopefully I can do well in some of my other races to come.” Maltais finished second, trailing Hall by a little over a second with a time of 4:09.391, followed by Rose-Anne Grenier from Sainte-Marie, Que., in 4:13.948.
In the men’s 5,000 meters event, Graeme Fish clocked the second-fastest time of his career at 6:23.889, securing a victory over Daniel Hall, Laura Hall’s brother, who finished in 6:36.800. Jack Hanson, a newcomer from Fort St. John, B.C., completed the podium with a time of 6:37.154.
Fish, who has faced recent injuries and missed qualifying for the Olympics earlier this year, described the race as a positive experience, emphasizing his continuous improvement in technique with each ice session. “It was a good race. The ice was hard, so it was slower but technique-wise, I’m improving every time I step on the ice, and that was my goal today,” said the 23-year-old from Moose Jaw, Alta.
Elsewhere, familiar faces Béatrice Lamarche and Laurent Dubreuil excelled in their respective 500m competitions, with Lamarche setting a new track record of 37.613 at the Quebec Ice Centre. Lamarche expressed her satisfaction with her performance, stating, “I really wanted the track record today. It’s actually my second track record here in Quebec City. My first was outdoors on the original Gaétan-Boucher oval.”
Dubreuil, a 34-year-old from Levis, Que., who won a bronze medal in the 500m event at the Milano Cortina Olympics, showed his prowess by clocking 34.536 to claim victory over Antoine Roger from Quebec City and bronze medalist Anders Johnson from Fort Frances, Ont.
The racing action will continue on Saturday with the second race of the men’s and women’s 500m events, along with the 1500m race. Live streaming of the event is available on CBCSports.ca, CBC Gem, and Radio-Canada Sports digital platforms at 11:45 a.m. ET.
