THE CANADIAN PRESS
RICHMOND, B.C. — It was a lesson learned for Christine Nesbitt on Monday, and the long-track speedskater hopes to apply the knowledge when she returns for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
Nesbitt, of London, Ont., won the 1,000 metres at the Canadian single distance long-track speedskating championships with a time of one minute 17.25 seconds. It was the first time she raced the distance at the Richmond Olympic Oval, the speedskating venue for the Games.
"Today I wanted to focus on skating technically a good race, even if I wasn’t maybe as fast as I wanted to be," said Nesbitt. "When it’s a World Cup I’m going to be much more excited and I’m going to have all that speed.
"Today I just wanted to make sure I had good corner entries. Sometimes I’m not very smooth in my racing. If you are bobbing a lot and moving around too much, you waste a lot of energy. You pay for it in the last lap. Today I was just trying to stay smooth and focused and make sure it was a good technical race and it paid off."
Denny Morrison of Chetwynd, B.C., the men’s 1,000-metre winner, said the more often Canadian skaters can race in the Olympic oval, the better foundation it lays for the Games.
"The more the whole team skates on it, the stronger we are all going to be and the bigger our advantage is going to be," said Morrison, who was timed in 1:10.72.
Shannon Rempel of Winnipeg, who won Saturday’s 500 metres, was second Monday in 1:17.39. Brittany Schussler of Winnipeg was third in 1:18.31.
Kyle Parrott of Minnedosa, Man., was second in the men’s race in 1:10.99 while Francois-Olivier Roberge of St-Nicolas, Que., was third in 1:11.01.
Morrison, who was second in Sunday’s 5,000 metres, said he felt some fatigue in the 1,000 and was disappointed with his time.
"I’m not super happy," he said. "I was a little slower in my first lap and I just couldn’t finish like I wanted to. I just never had it in my legs today.
"I still managed to pull off a victory and I’m happy about that."
Nesbitt said she felt a little like a Formula One driver testing a new track.
"I had to figure out my corner entries just like race car drivers," she said with a chuckle. "Corner entries are huge for them and it’s just as important for us.
"We’re not going quite as fast but we have tighter corners."
Nesbitt and Morrison both had great 2007-08 seasons but got off to different starts this year.
Nesbitt, 23, had two World Cup wins and 10 podium finishes last season. This year she won three of the first four 1,000-metre races. She also had a second-place effort and third-place finish over the first three 1,500-metre events.
She credits maturity for improving her consistency.
"Because I’m more mature I can handle more volume and more intensity in my training and I can perform more consistently," said Nesbitt. "Mentally I’m tougher so everything is getting stronger."
Morrison, 23, had two wins and 11 podium finishes last season racing in the 1,500 and 1,000 metres. He also set a world record in the 1,500.
This year Morrison was kept off the podium in the first three World Cups before winning a pair of silver medals in 1,000-metre races.
He credits the support of veteran teammates like Kristina Groves and Clara Hughes for keeping his confidence intact.
"It’s just getting the ball rolling," he said. "Hopefully, by the end of the season, I’ll see better results than at the end of last season.
"I had some things to figure out. Luckily, I have some great teammates that have the wisdom of true veterans to keep my head on my shoulders."
Results from the championships, which end Wednesday, will be used to select the Canadian team for the second half of the World Cup season plus the world all-around championships in Hamar, Norway in February.
The speedskating oval will seat about 8,000 fans during the Games. The Vancouver Olympic Games Organizing Committee contributed $63.3 million towards building the oval. It is part of a 33,750-square-metre, $178-million facility which will be used as a recreation centre after the Olympics.
