Canadian speedskater Heather McLean just misses out on winning World Cup bronze medal

HEERENVEEN, NETHERLANDS – Winnipeg’s Heather McLean was fourth in a World Cup long-track speedskating event Sunday.

McLean posted a time of 37.522 seconds in a women’s 500-metre race, finishing just 0.11 seconds from winning a bronze medal. McLean won bronze Saturday over 500 metres.

She also finished 11th in the 1,000-metre race Sunday.

Ottawa’s Isabelle Weidemann was fifth in the women’s 3,000-metre race in 3:59.437.

Laurent Dubreuil, of Levis, Que., was 15th in a men’s 500-metre race. His original racing counterpart, Russian Ruslan Murashov, lost control and slid into Dubreuil’s outside lane, forcing the Canadian to slow down and swerve to avoid a collision.

Dubreuil was permitted a solo re-skate after but settled for the 15th-place finish. He was ninth in the 1,000-metre race (1:08.880).

Toronto’s Jordan Belchos was seventh in the men’s 5,000-metre race (6:18.054) while Calgary’s Gilmore Junio was ninth in the men’s 500 (34.816).

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2021