With one lap to go, Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu was well positioned while in 4th place. He ran out of juice in the home stretch and finished 13th in the mass start of the world championships in Quebec on Saturday.
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Gélinas-Beaulieu was driven by ambivalent feelings at the end of the race. “I'm a little disappointed because I was in 4th place and was overtaken by three or four skaters, but if I take a step back, I ran a smart race by positioning myself well.”
After the start over 1500 m, Gélinas-Beaulieu was back on the ice two hours later for the mass start. “I had no legs left,” he summarized. I wanted to achieve a good time in the 1500m and started strong. So I burned cartridges for the mass start, where I had to be strategic. We were just a few skaters who competed in both disciplines and we will set the record at the World Championships where the two distances are not on the same day. The ultimate goal is to be on the podium at the World Championships.”
In the mass start, time doesn't matter, except for the three runners on the podium. The points accumulated by several skaters for the intermediate sprints caused Gélinas-Beaulieu to drop in the overall standings, although he crossed the finish line in 6th place.
Gélinas-Beaulieu, who was inactive on Friday, thoroughly enjoyed his World Cup baptism at home. “It’s great to be the crowd favorite,” he said. I love skating in Quebec and I really enjoyed my experience at the Four Continents Championships last year. There was a great atmosphere in the stands and a brass band played Quebec folklore. The organizing committee asked us for suggestions and it was my idea. That’s what I like about running abroad.”
A medal for Connor Howe
Connor Howe won bronze in the 1500m, his first medal of the season. Canada placed fifth at the Beijing Olympics, completing the distance in 1:45:73.
American Jordan Stolz won gold with a course record time of 1:44.01. The record of 1 minute 44 seconds 66 belonged to Gélinas-Beaulieu. As in the 1000 meter run, the three-time reigning world champion missed out on the title in the overall ranking by just a few points. He missed the World Cup in China to train with his professional team in the Netherlands, which explains his second place finish.
“It was my first competition in Quebec and it was special to have the support of the crowd,” said Howe. This first podium finish of the season as I better fulfill my potential is a good dose of confidence ahead of the World Championships in Calgary in two weeks. I also took 4th place in Salt Lake City last year. I’m on the right track.”
Howe believes there are several factors behind his more difficult start to the season. “I overtrained in preparation and also had technical problems,” he explained. I know I can do better. I lacked energy in the 1000m run on Friday.”