500m vice world champion Laurent Dubreuil takes the lead again on Thursday in Calgary at the Canadian long-distance speed skating championships, which serves as selection for the stages of the World Cup beginning in November.
After a dream summer, Dubreuil was slowed down by tendinitis in one knee at the end of August. “I won’t be at my best, but I’m not in bad shape either,” concluded Dubreuil. I had less specific drills and seemed rusty when I watched the videos when I got back on the ice. However, the pain has subsided and I can already see a noticeable difference.”
Dubreuil did not hesitate to take a break. “I took my injury seriously from the start,” he said. I didn’t do any jumps or squats in training for a month and a half. These are the two most important exercises. I was patient and followed the plan exactly.”
Dubreuil assures that he will be ready for the start of the World Cup season from November 10th to 12th in Obihiro, Japan. “I’m not worried. Before I got injured, I was stronger and jumped higher than ever. It’s possible that I lost something. If that’s the case, we need to see if the return is immediate.
Cannon launch
The 500m World Cup champion got off to a great start at the national championships at the Ice Center last year. “I was almost too good too early,” he said. I felt better in October than in February. I had a very good race in the 500m at the World Championships, but I didn’t have it in the 1000m. In our preparation plan, I didn’t want to be on fire three months before the start of the World Cup. So I started skating later and trained harder and better than in 2022.”
Mental fatigue
At the beginning of the summer, Dubreuil had blood tests done because he was suffering from fatigue. “The results were negative,” he said. I felt mental fatigue. It’s demanding to be at the top. It’s fun to win, but there’s pressure with it. You have to be there at every race. My return in April took longer than usual, but I had a flawless summer before I injured my knee. It was the best training summer of my life.”
The fire still burns for the Beijing Olympics 1000m silver medalist. “I don’t see the end of my career,” he said. The passion is still there. I still see myself skating after the Cortina Games in Milan in 2026. Summer has become my favorite time because I train, make progress and spend time with family.
“Traveling alone is the only negative,” Dubreuil added. As children get older, it becomes more and more difficult. The day I left (September 27th) was Nathan’s 1st birthday. We celebrated him the weekend before, but I would have liked to have cake with him on his birthday. We would also like to have a third child.”
Dubreuil will compete in all three events. He will break the ice on Thursday in the 500m race, for which he is already pre-qualified due to his world silver medal. This is followed by the 1000m and 1500m.
He has to qualify for the 1000 m run because he didn’t finish in the top 5 in the world. He will use the 1500 m as training. “I have no expectations for the 1,500m, but it’s good for my 1,000m,” he concluded.