Canada's Dubreuil sets tone at speed skating World Cup opener after stellar 2023-24 season
Grabs silver medal, falling just shy of reigning world champion Stolz’s winning time
Laurent Dubreuil is picking up this season's ISU World Cup speed skating campaign where he left off.
The long track star from Lévis, Que., captured silver in his season debut in a men's 500-metre race Friday at M-Wave in Nagano, Japan.
Dubreuil said while his race wasn't perfect, he's happy with the result.
"The start was a bit slower than last week, but this was my first time skating a lap under 25 seconds at sea level this year," he said. "I know there is a tenth or two to be gained out there, so hopefully I can find that speed for the next 500 metres this Sunday."
Skating in the second-last pair, Dubreuil knew the time to beat was 34.43 seconds by reigning world champion Jordan Stolz of the United States.
WATCH | Dubreuil clocks 34.58 seconds for 500m silver medal in Japan:
Dubreuil finished in 34.58, just off the leader's pace but ahead of bronze-medallist Tatsuya Shinhama of Japan by 3-1000s of a second.
Last week, Dubreuil picked up silver in the 500, bronze in the 1,000 and bronze in team sprint at the Four Continents championships, a World Cup tune-up for non-European skaters.
WATCH | Dubreuil skates to individual bronze at Four Continents:
Stolz swept the 500, 1,000 and 1,500 for a second consecutive year at the world single distances championships last February at the Olympic Oval in Calgary.
Dubreuil finished last season's World Cup circuit second in the overall 500m standings.
In March, he earned sprint bronze, posting the third-fastest combined time across two 500 and two 1,000 races at the World Allround Speed Skating Championships in Inzell, Germany.
In other Canadian results on Friday, Connor Howe finished eighth in men's 1,500, while Ottawa's Ivanie Blondin and Valerie Maltais of La Baie, Que., clocked the fifth and ninth fastest times, respectively, in the women's event.
Canada is coming off a successful World Cup season, winning 23 medals (including five gold) across the six tour stops to finish fourth in total medals behind the Netherlands, the United States and Japan.
Maltais and Blondin placed 1-2 in the women's mass start standings while Dubreuil and 2018 Olympic gold medallist Ted-Jan Bloemen were runners-up in the men's 500m and long distances tables, respectively.
Competition continues Saturday with the 1,000 races, women's 3,000 and men's 5,000.
WATCH | Full replay coverage of Friday action from Nagano:
Key dates:
- World Cup, Calgary (Jan. 24-26)
- World Cup, Milwaukee, Wisc. (Jan. 31-Feb. 2)
- World Cup, Zakopane, Poland (Feb. 21-23)
- World Cup, Heerenveen, Netherlands (Feb. 28-March 2)
- World single distance championships, Hamar, Norway (Feb. 15-18)
With files from Jesse Campigotto, CBC Sports
