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NEWS RELEASE SPEED SKATING CANADA ************************* 2014 Winter Olympic star Denny Morrison leads 20-member squad into fall competitions CALGARY - Canada will be represented by a team of Olympic veterans and promising young skaters at the fir

NEWS RELEASE

SPEED SKATING CANADA

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2014 Winter Olympic star Denny Morrison leads 20-member squad into fall competitions
 
CALGARY - Canada will be represented by a team of Olympic veterans and promising young skaters at the first four ISU Long Track Speed Skating World Cups, launching a new Olympic quadrennial this fall toward 2018.
 
Four-time Olympic medalist Denny Morrison of Fort St. John, B.C., headlines the team of eight women and 12 men, three of whom will be making their World Cup debuts next month.
 
Morrison won silver in the 1,000m and bronze in the 1,500m at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia and has 39 individual World Cup medals to his credit, eight of those being gold. Based on the Canadian team selection criteria for the fall World Cups, Morrison was the only one pre-selected for the 2014 Fall World Cup Team as he was the only athlete who placed top 5 at the 2014 Olympic Games in one or more individual distances.
 
“I'm really excited for the buildup towards the 2018 Olympics for our young speed skating team,” Morrison said.
 
“The energy and determination of these young skaters is what up's the ante and will bring a heightened level of competitiveness and depth to our team come 2018. It will be very interesting to see who reaches their potential at just the right time for Korea.”
 
His teammates were selected based on their results at the ISU Fall World Cup Long Track Selections, held last weekend in Calgary.

The team also includes 2014 Winter Olympians Ivanie Blondin of Ottawa, Kali Christ of Regina, Vincent de Haître of Ottawa, William Dutton of Humboldt, Sask., Marsha Hudey of White City, Sask., and Gilmore Junio of Calgary.
 
Returning to the fall World Cup team from last season is Jordan Belchos of Markham, Ont., Tyler Derraugh of Winnipeg, Laurent Dubreuil of Lévis - Saint-Étienne-de-Lauzon, Que., Alec Janssens of Chilliwack, B.C., Richard MacLennan of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Heather McLean of Winnipeg, Lauren McGuire of Ottawa and Josie Spence of Kamloops, B.C.
 
Stefan Waples of Winnipeg returns to the World Cup team. He made six World Cup starts from 2011 to 2013.
 
Making their World Cup debuts will be Alexandra Ianculescu of Toronto, Kate Hanly of Calgary and Robert Watson of Whitby, Ont. Also on the team is Ted-Jan Bloemen, a native of Terhorne, Netherlands, who moved to Calgary in June to attempt to skate for his father’s country of birth.
 
A Canadian citizen, Bloemen made 14 World Cup starts for the Netherlands in individual races from 2007 to 2013 and won a World Cup silver medal in team pursuit in 2008. He set a Canadian record in the 10,000m at the selections at the Olympic Oval in Calgary last weekend.
 
Skaters will represent Canada at the first four ISU Long Track World Cups of the season in Obihiro, Japan (Nov. 14-16), Seoul, South Korea (Nov. 21-23), Berlin, Germany (Dec. 5-7), and Heerenveen, Netherlands (Dec. 12-14).  
 
Canada is not on the World Cup hosting schedule this season but will host the 2015 World Allround Championships in Calgary March 7-8.
 
Members of the Canadian National Team for the ISU Long Track World Cups #1 (Obihiro, Japan), #2 (Seoul, South Korea), #3 (Berlin, Germany) and #4 (Heerenveen, Netherlands):
 
Men
-BELCHOS, Jordan (Markham, ON): 5000m, 10,000m
-BLOEMEN, Ted-Jan (Calgary, AB): 5000m, 10,000m
-De HAÎTRE, Vincent (Cumberland, ON): 500m, 1000m, 1500m
-DERRAUGH, Tyler (Winnipeg, MB): 1000m, 1500m
-DUBREUIL, Laurent (Lévis - Saint-Étienne-de-Lauzon, QC): 500m
-DUTTON, William (Humboldt, SK): 500m
-JANSSENS, Alec (Chilliwack, B.C.): 1500m
-JUNIO, Gilmore (Calgary, AB): 500m
-MacLENNAN, Richard (Sault Ste. Marie, ON): 1000m
-MORRISON, Denny (Fort St. John, B.C.): 1000m, 1500m
-WAPLES, Stefan (Winnipeg, MB): 5000m, 10,000m
-WATSON, Robert (Whitby, ON): Mass start
 
Women
-BLONDIN, Ivanie (Ottawa, ON): 1000m, 3000m, 5000m, Mass start
-CHRIST, Kali (Regina, SK): 1000m, 1500m, Mass start
-HANLY, Kate (Calgary, AB): 1500m
-HUDEY, Marsha (White City, SK.): 500m
-IANCULESCU, Alexandra (Toronto, ON): 500m, 1000m
-McGUIRE, Lauren (Ottawa, ON): 3000m
-McLEAN, Heather (Winnipeg, MB): 500m, 1000m
-SPENCE, Josie (Kamloops, B.C.): 1500m, 5000m

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(Speed Skating Canada photo)


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