Canadian Roundup: skaters and skiers enjoy stellar weekend
Feature photo: Long track speed skater William Dutton
Canada’s skaters and skiers (on water and snow) delivered top international results this past weekend. Here is a quick recap of what went down the last few days.
Figure skating
Read: Weaver and Poje win Moscow title
Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje at the end of their free dance at ISU Grand Prix in Moscow on November 21, 2015.
Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje won the ice dance competition in Moscow on Sunday, their second Grand Prix win in as many events this season. That guarantees the Canadians a spot at the Grand Prix Finals in Barcelona in early December.
Long track speed skating
Read: Bloemen breaks world record in Utah
Ted-Jan Bloemen after winning World Cup bronze in men’s 5000m in Calgary on November 13, 2015.
Ted-Jan Bloemen became a national hero on Saturday when he broke the men’s 10,000 metre world record, in the process beating Netherlands legend Sven Kramer – the former holder of the benchmark and current Olympic silver medallist in that distance – for World Cup gold in Utah. Bloemen swapped his own Dutch citizenship for the Canadian maple leaf a year ago, a change that is clearly working for him and a grateful Team Canada.
William Dutton in the 500m during a World Cup stop in Utah on November 22, 2015.
William Dutton won his third and fourth individual World Cup medals (a bronze, then a silver) in the men’s 500m this weekend, in the second race Laurent Dubreuil joined him on the podium in third place. Then Dutton helped Canada deliver gold in the non-Olympic team sprint with Alexandre St-Jean and Vincent De Haître.
Ivanie Blondin also won two individual medals, a bronze in the women’s 500m was followed by a mass start silver.
Cross country skiing
Alex Harvey at Falun 2015 (World Championships), photo via Cross Country Canada/Nordic Focus.
In a pre-World Cup season prep, Alex Harvey won silver in Sweden, skate-skiing to second place in the 15km race in between two Russians. The season’s first World Cup will be in Finland this upcoming weekend.
Water skiing
Ryan Dodd – Men’s Waterski, TO2015 – July23 (Mike Ridewood)
Although not an Olympic sport, Canadian water skiers thrilled fans at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games this summer. That form continued on to the broader global stage at the World Championships in Mexico this weekend where Ryan Dodd became a world champion in the jump and Canada won the overall team classification title.
Whitney McClintock won four medals at Toronto 2015. At worlds she took individual silver medals in the slalom and overall among six total medals won by Canada.
