If only each of Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu’s races could be held in Calgary.
Before Sunday, it had been 19 months since his last mass start, but the speed skater from Sherbrooke, Que., didn’t look out of place at the Canadian long track championships.
He admitted to being stressed at the start line in Calgary but remained patient throughout the 16-lap men’s competition before making his move towards the front for the final sprint.
The 33-year-old crossed the finish line first in seven minutes 55.88 seconds ahead of Ottawa’s Jake Weidemann (7:55.96) and Montreal’s David LaRue (7:56.43).
“It has been two years since I raced a mass start. The last time was here in Calgary, when I won silver at the world Championships,” Gélinas-Beaulieu told Speed Skating Canada. “There were a lot of really competitive skaters today, but my race went well.
“There are no easy mass start races, but there were no big surprises in this one, which helped my position myself well throughout the race so that I could win it in the final sprint.”
There was no surprise on the women’s side, where Valérie Maltais of La Baie, Que., topped a field of 14.
The 35-year-old sprinted past Rose-Anne Grenier of Sainte-Marie, Que., and Darby Beeson of Airdrie, Alta., in the final lap to capture the title in 9:08.72. Grenier earned silver (9:10.46), while Beeson (9:10.61) beat out Calgary’s Isabelle Champagne for bronze.
“I was nervous, but also confident ahead of today’s race,” Maltais said. “There are always a bunch of things that can happen in a mass start, but I felt good, and I knew I had the speed.
“I really wanted to win the race today so that I could once again represent Canada at the World Cups.”
Ottawa’s Ivanie Blondin is prequalified for the World Cups in the discipline due to her performance on the international stage last season, which culminated with world Championship silver in Hamar, Norway.
Canada’s team for the upcoming World Cup campaign will be announced in the coming weeks, based on results from these championships and last year’s international performances.
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