NAGANO 鈥� Laurent Dubreuil is picking up this season鈥檚 ISU World Cup speedskating campaign where he left off.
The long-track star from L茅vis, Que., captured silver in his season debut in a men's 500-metre race Friday at Nagano's M-Wave.
Dubreuil finished last season's World Cup circuit second in the overall 500-metre standings.
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.
Dubreuil finished in 34.58, just off the leader鈥檚 pace but ahead of bronze-medallist Tatsuya Shinhama of Japan by three one-thousandths of a second.
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.鈥�
In other 91原创 results, Connor Howe finished eighth in men鈥檚 1,500, while Ottawa's Ivanie Blondin and Val茅rie Maltais of La Baie, Que., clocked the fifth and ninth fastest times, respectively, in the women's event.
Competition continues Saturday with the 1,000 races, the women鈥檚 3,000 and men鈥檚 5,000.
This report by The 91原创 Press was first published Nov. 22, 2024.
The 91原创 Press
