Larter Grabs Silver at Canadian Long Track Championships
Photo caption: P.E.I.’s Jenna Larter, (left) Carolina Hiller (center) and Brooklyn McDougall were medalists in the 500-metre event at the Canadian Long Track Championships in Calgary on Thursday. Photo courtesy of Dave Holland.
P.E.I.’s Jenna Larter burst onto the podium at the 2023 Canadian Long Track Championships in Calgary on Thursday, earning a silver medal in the 500-metre #1 race.
In her first ever long track national championship race, Larter put down a blazing time of 38.87 seconds, smashing her own previous best of 39.27 seconds. Skating in the seventh of thirteen pairs, the Brookfield native grabbed the then-lead time by nearly two seconds, before being overtaken by reigning Canadian champion Carolina Hiller of B.C., who skated to a time of 38.49 to defend her national title. Alberta’s Brooklyn McDougall, a 2022 Olympian in the distance, took home the bronze medal with a time of 38.91.
After the race, Larter remarked, “It felt really good to go out and skate the best I can. Going into my race I had a plan in mind and I knew if I could execute that, it would pay off. Winning silver felt great, I’m still a bit in shock.”
Larter will take to the ice for another 500-metre race on Saturday, along with 1,000-metre races on Friday and Sunday. The Island skater will enter the 1,000-metre event with the 14th fastest 1,000-metre time among Canadian women this season.
P.E.I.’s Andrew Binns also made his Canadian Championships debut on Thursday, setting a new 500-metre personal best time of 36.81 seconds, enroute to 26th place. The men’s podium in the 500-metre race consisted of winner Laurent Dubreuil of Quebec, Joshua Telizyn of B.C. and Anders Johnson of Alberta. Nova Scotian and Canadian NextGen team member Cooper Emin skated to fifth place.
The Canadian Long Track Championships crown Canadian champions from among the country’s top 30 (or fewer) speed skaters in each individual distance. It also serves as a selection event for the team to represent Canada on the World Cup circuit this fall and competitors will earn points toward their Canadian ranking, which is used to help select athletes to the National and NextGen team programs for next season.
Live streaming, results and photos from the championships can be found at https://speedskating.ca/mec-events/2023-canadian-long-track-championships/
For more information about Speed Skating PEI, visit www.speedskatingpei.ca.
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