Laurent Dubreuil and Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu killed two birds with one stone at the start of the World Long Distance Speed Skating Championships in Calgary on Thursday.
Together with Anders Johnson, the two Quebecers won the gold medal in the team sprint and set a world record. Dubreuil and Gélinas-Beaulieu also won gold in Heerenveen with Christopher Fiola last year.
The Canadians beat the Dutch by 0.002 seconds. The Norwegians completed the podium. The time of 1:17.17 beats the previous mark of 1:17.31 set by Dubreuil, Vincent de Haître and Gilmore Junio in December 2017 in Calgary.
Dave Holland/Canadian Sport Institute Calgary Richard Boutin
“We were one of the couples behind the Dutch who were quick, but we weren't impressed,” explained Dubreuil. We had a very, very good race. You can hardly wish for a gold medal and a world record, a better performance and a better result. This is only the second time all three of us have run together and we won both races. I’m a little surprised though.”
The trio won the first of two world championships held in Poland last year.
Gélinas-Beaulie fulfilled
Gélinas-Beaulieu beamed after defending the title he won in 2023. “A world record and a world championship is an absolutely fantastic feeling,” he said. We know that the three of us work well together, not only in terms of our individual roles during the race, but also together. As we crossed the finish line there was a slight delay before the times were announced, but when I saw we had taken first place it was an exciting moment. I can't find words to describe how I feel.
Gold for women too
Not to be outdone, the women's sprint team also climbed to the top of the podium and successfully defended the title they won in the Netherlands.
After the trio, consisting of Ivanie Blondin, Carolina Hiller and Maddison Pearman, suffered a mistake at the World Cup in Quebec in early February, they recovered well. With a time of 1:25:14, Canada beat the USA and Poland.
In the individual races, three-time Olympic champion Isabelle Weidemann returned to success by winning the silver medal in the 3000 m. This is his first world medal in an individual competition.
For her part, the medalist of the last two stages of the World Cup, Valérie Maltais, took 10th place.
Revenge on Jordan Stolz
Dubreuil will be back in action on Friday afternoon in the 500m, his favorite race, where he will try to win a third consecutive medal after gold in 2021 and silver in 2023.
In the final pair he is paired with American sensation Jordan Stlotz. The two had crossed swords in Quebec on February 4 and Stolz had beaten Dubreuil to secure his third gold medal of the weekend.
“I felt good for the sprint relay and will have good legs for the 500m,” concluded Dubreuil after undergoing an anti-doping test.