Carolina Hiller, Laurent Dubreuil, Valerie Maltais and Ted-Jan Bloemen all earned national titles on Thursday, the opening day of the Canadian long track speed skating championships in Calgary.
Hiller, from Prince George, B.C., raced to her second consecutive national title in the women’s 500 meters.
The 26-year-old came out ahead of 24 competitors with a winning time of 38.49 seconds.
Jenna Larter of Brookfield, P.E.I., earned silver with a new personal best time of 38.87, and Calgary’s Brooklyn McDougall concluded third with a time of 38.91.
Dubreuil, from Levis, Que., cruised to yet another men’s 500-metre crown.
The reigning world silver medalist in the distance finished in 34.54, placing him ahead of Joshua Telizyn of Fort St. John, B.C. (34.83), and Calgary’s Anders Johnson (35.14).
Maltais, from La Baie, Que., won the women’s women’s 3,000 metres with a time of 4:02.84. She was joined on the podium by Ottawa’s Isabelle Weidemann and Ivanie Blondin (Ottawa), who skated season-best times of 4:04.76 and 4:06.09, respectively.
It marked only the second national title of Maltais’s long-track career, having also captured 1,000 meter gold in 2021.
Bloemen, from Calgary, crushed his competition in the men’s 5,000 meters.
The 37-year-old’s gold medal-winning time of 6:18.95 was nearly seven seconds quicker than second-place finisher Connor Howe of Canmore, Alta. (6:25.93).
Graeme Fish of Moose Jaw, Sask., earned the bronze medal with a time of 6:26.79.
National titles will be up for grabs in the men’s and women’s 1,000 meters, women’s 5,000 meters and men’s 10,000 meters.
