Speedskater Dubreuil collects second bronze at World Cup
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MILWAUKEE - Laurent Dubreuil collected his second bronze medal in as many days at the ISU World Cup Speedskating event in Milwaukee, Wisc., helping Canada boost its season total to 10 medals.
The 32-year-old Dubreuil, of Levis, Que., recorded a time of 34.35 in the 500 metres on Sunday to earn another podium placement. His recovery from injury appears almost complete, posting near identical times in two straight races to gain valuable ground in the World Cup rankings, where he currently sits fourth with 276 points.
Japan's Tatsuya Shinhama stunned the speedskating world during Sunday's sprint, stopping the clock in 34.14 to successfully knock American phenom Jordan Stolz off the top of the podium by the slimmest of margins.
It was Stolz's first loss in the 500 metres since December 2023, a span of nine World Cup victories and two World Championship titles.
"My start was excellent today at 9.55, which is the best I could have hoped for. My lap was a little less good. … I think with a perfect race I could have beat him (Shinhama), but I was missing just a little something today," said Dubreuil.
"In the end, getting another bronze medal is really good. I'm very, very happy to be able to keep winning medals this season."
Canada's mixed relay team also earned a bronze medal, giving the country two gold, three silver and five bronze after four events.
Ivanie Blondin of Ottawa, Ont., teamed up with Anders Johnson of Burnaby, B.C., to finish third in the mixed relay.
The Canadians crossed the finish line in 2:58.01 and looked to be in silver-medal position, but after further review the officials deemed the Norwegians had bested them by one thousandth of a second, bumping them down to third place.
The Dutch earned gold with a time of 2:56.56.
The ISU World Cup Speedskating season concludes with stops in Poland (Feb. 21-23) and the Netherlands (Feb. 28-March 2).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2025.