Despite being far from the excitement of the big stages while skating in Group B, Laurent Dubreuil delivered his best performance of the season in the 1000m this morning to secure his place at the World Championships.
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“Running in Group B is boring and demotivating,” said Dubreuil, who took first place with a time of 1 minute, 8.93 seconds. I would have loved to enjoy the atmosphere with all the young people present. It was like a Quebec Cup at the start of the season or a training session. I wouldn't have given the same speech at 19. I would have been happy to take part in the World Cup.
Dubreuil did not expect any preferential treatment. “You have to earn your place in Group A,” he concluded. That's the beauty of sport. They have not secured a place, as we can see from the example of Olympic champion Thomas Krol and three-time world champion Kai Verbij, who are also in Group B or simply do not qualify. At our age [jeune trentaine] It can be dangerous to believe that you are on the decline. We have to keep believing.”
Despite an environment that was not conducive to great performances, Dubreuil secured his ticket to the World Championships in the 1000 meters. His time of 1 minute and 8.93 seconds effectively earned him 9th place in Group A.
“It’s very good and I’m super happy,” he concluded. My performance confirms that after a difficult year I can also fight for medals in the 1000 m next year. It's encouraging and shows that I'm still here. Unless a miracle happens, I won't win a medal in Calgary, but it will be good preparation for the world sprint in Germany.
The atmosphere will certainly be better on Saturday when Dubreuil competes in the 500m, his favorite event, with the aim of staying in the overall title race.
In addition to qualifying for the World Championships, Dubreuil was able to narrowly maintain his course record of 1 minute and 7.94 seconds set at the National World Championships on October 14, 2022. American sensation Jordan Stolz, a fourth consecutive 1000m gold medalist, stopped the clock at 1 minute, 7.96 seconds.
DIDIER DEBUS SCISSORS/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
“Stolz was ahead of my record after 600m, but slowed down in the second lap, where he is much better than me,” he explained. He became slower than usual.”
Stolz, who was absent from the World Cup in Beijing at the start of the season, finished just three points behind overall winner Zhongyan Ning.
“It wasn’t a goal,” he clarified. I missed a World Cup to devote myself to training. Back at sea level I felt tired. I knew it was a possibility to break the course record, but I was slowing down. Laurent is certainly happy.”