Weidemann leads Canada’s speed skating medal charge at Heerenveen World Cup
Canada’s Isabelle Weidemann topped a medal-laden day for Canada at the speed skating World Cup in Heerenveen, Netherlands on Saturday.
The Ottawa native clocked a winning three minutes, 59.759 seconds to out duel hometown favourite Antointette de Jong (4:00.035) to earn a gold medal, with Russia’s Natalia Voronina (4:01.339) grabbing bronze.
WATCH | Isabelle Weidemann tops podium in the Netherlands:
With the win, Weidemann locked up her second-place overall finish in the 3,000 standings with 353 points, finishing just ahead of fellow Canadian Ivanie Blondin (314) and just four points shy of the overall champion Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic.
Dubreuil takes pair of silvers
On the men’s side, Laurent Dubreuil began his day by taking silver in the men’s 500. The native of Levis, Que., clocked 34.416 seconds, to finish behind Japan’s Tatsuya Shinihama (34.317), while Korea’s Joon-Ho Kim (34.418) took bronze.
WATCH | Laurent Dubreuil finishes 2nd in men’s 500 metres:
With one race to go in the season, Dubreuil sits sixth overall and, with a good finish on Sunday, could easily jump up in the 500 standings.
Later Saturday, the Levis, Que., native returned to the podium to claim his second silver of the day, this time in the 1,000.
Dubreuil managed to prevent a 1-2 finish by the Netherlands after edging out Kai Verbij by one second for silver.
But neither was able to come close to Thomas Krol, who romped to gold with 1:07.858.
WATCH | Dubreuil notches second silver in men’s 1,000:
Fish, Bloemen share podium
In the men’s 5,000, Canada’s Graeme Fish and Ted-Jan Bloemen secured a silver and bronze, respectively.
Fish, a native of Moose Jaw, Sask., clocked six minutes 12.830 seconds while Calgary’s Bloemen finished in 6:13.721.
Patrick Roest of the Netherlands took gold with a winning 6:11.152.
WATCH | Graeme Fish, Ted-Jan Bloemen race to podium finish in men’s 5,000:
With the win, Roest secured his dominance, edging Russia’s Danila Semerikov for top honours in the overall standings with 360 points to the latter’s 323. Fish took third overall, finishing with 306, 14 points ahead of Bloemen.
CBC Sports is live streaming all the action as the speed skating World Cup season comes to an end on Sunday. The competition resumes at 9 p.m. ET with the women’s 1,500.
