Yahoo Sports Speed skaters Maltais, Blondin, Dubreuil lead Canada's long track squad into new season
Valérie Maltais, who won the overall women's mass start World Cup title last February and a world championship silver medal in team pursuit, is among 16 speed skaters on the Canadian long track team for the start of the international season.
Ottawa's Ivanie Blondin, who won the women's 1,000-, 1,500- and 3,000-metre races at the recent Canadian long track championships in Quebec, is also on the team.
Laurent Dubreuil of Lévis, Que., who earned sprint bronze at the World Allround Speed Skating Championships in March, leads the 10-member men's squad to start the season.
The campaign begins next weekend with the Nov. 15-17 ISU Four Continents championships in Hachinohe City, Japan, the first time this event will be held outside North America since it was added to the international calendar.
Hachinohe City will then host a Nov. 22-24 World Cup event before athletes travel to Beijing for the second World Cup competition of the season, starting Nov. 29.
Canada's long track team is coming off one of its most successful international seasons of the past decade, having earned 23 World Cup medals across six events, including four on home ice in Quebec City last February.
The team also succeeded at the season-ending worlds in Calgary, picking up two gold, six silver and two bronze.
Other key dates:
World Cup, Calgary (Jan. 24-26)
World Cup, Milwaukee, Wisc. (Jan. 31-Feb. 2)
World Cup, Zakopane, Poland (Feb. 21-23)
World Cup, Heerenveen, Netherlands (Feb. 28-March 2)
World single distance championships, Hamar, Norway (Feb. 15-18)
