Four Speed Skaters Grab Their First Canadian Titles at Nationals

Summary:

• Rose Laliberté-Roy, Antoine Roger, Rose-Anne Grenier and Jake Weidemann each won their first national title on Sunday.
• The elimination format shaped both races, with Weidemann winning the men’s event after favorite Daniel Hall was eliminated.
• Laura Hall won the women’s 5,000m, while Graeme Fish took the men’s 10,000m as Canada prepares for the World Cup season.

Four Canadian speed skaters claimed their first national titles on Sunday, October 18, as the 2026 Canadian Long Track Speed Skating Championships wrapped up in Quebec City, with new race rules adding extra drama to the final day.

The Highest Position 

Rose Laliberté-Roy, Antoine Roger, Rose-Anne Grenier and Jake Weidemann all reached the top of the podium, while Laura Hall and Graeme Fish also secured victories in the longer-distance events.

Rose Laliberté-Roy, a 27-year-old Olympian from Saint-Étienne, Que., won the women’s 1,000 meters in 1:18.372. She had finished second in both women’s 500m races earlier in the championships.

Julia Snelgrove of Dartmouth, N.S., took silver in the 1,000m in 1:19.070, followed by Winnipeg’s Skylar Van Horne in 1:19.190.

Quebec City native Antoine Roger won the men’s 1,000m in 1:09.981, finishing ahead of Cédrick Brunet of Gatineau, Que., in 1:10.231 and Calgary’s Yankun Zhao in 1:10.379.

Roger said he entered the race confident after a strong training period but knew he still needed to deliver when it mattered.

I knew I had a good first lap so I was just trying to stay low, with proper technique, until I crossed the finish line

Changes in the Elimination Format

The mass start events brought a different challenge, with Sunday’s races using a new elimination format in which the last-place skater is removed following each sprint lap.

Rose-Anne Grenier, from Sainte-Marie, Que., won the women’s mass start in 9:15.361, finishing ahead of training partner Laurie Cayer of Lévis, Que., and Saskatoon’s Selena Dallaire.

Grenier, who also earned bronze in Friday’s 3,000m, said the changing pace suited her racing style.

Ottawa’s Jake Weidemann took the men’s mass start title in a chaotic race, edging Calgary’s Max Halyk and Eric Orlowsky of Prince George, B.C. The new format caught favorite Daniel Hall out of position during the second sprint lap, leading to his elimination.

Weidemann said he focused on staying near the front while taking advantage of the draft whenever possible.

In the longer distances, Laura Hall of Salmon Arm, B.C., won the women’s 5,000m in 7:18.296, almost 11 seconds ahead of Grenier. It was Hall’s second victory of the weekend after she upset Olympic bronze medallist Valérie Maltais in Friday’s 3,000m.

Graeme Fish, from Moose Jaw, Sask., won the men’s 10,000m in 13:23.106, well ahead of Aimé Perreault and Jack Hanson.

The national championships will help determine Canada’s roster for the upcoming long-track World Cup season.