Friday, November 6th, 2009
Speedskater Olivier Jean disqualified in short-track World Cup qualifier
MONTREAL - Canadian short-track speedskater Olivier Jean stormed angrily off the ice Friday after being disqualified from a World Cup 1,000-metre competition.
Jean blocked German skater Tyson Heung, a dual citizen from Brampton, Ont., as he tried to improve his position rounding a corner during a preliminary race at the Maurice Richard Arena.
This week's World Cup will help determine which athletes secure spots at the Vancouver Olympics in February.
The normally upbeat Jean, visibly upset by the disappointment, said he was too ambitious.
"I made a tactical error," said the 25-year-old from Lachenaie, Que. "The German was a bit wide at the start of the curve and I thought I had enough speed to pass him and I jumped into the inside.
"I misread the situation. I should have been happy with second place."
Jean is one of Canada's stronger competitors and placed first in the initial rounds Thursday afternoon. He'll have the opportunity to make up some ground next weekend in Marquette, Mich., for the final pre-Olympic races.
The disqualification is proof of how unpredictable short-track speedskating races can be, where skaters round corners with only a few inches separating them.
"It does really put more pressure on next week," said the quirky Jean, who sports a wild mop of long blond hair. "I'm responsible for this extra pressure and I'm going to do everything possible to get back the points I lost this week. But it's not the end of the world."
On Thursday, Guillaume Bastille and Tania Vicent failed to advance past the quarter-finals in the 1,500-metre races, but the rest of the team went forward as expected in the various distances.
National team program director Yves Hamelin said the focus will be on keeping the skaters in the top ten at Marquette.
"We know they're able to reach those positions. It's not a worry ... but we can't allow any more errors and I think the three guys understand," said Hamelin, father to brothers Charles and Francois on the Olympic team.
The men's 5,000-metre relay team skated to an easy first-place finish in its heat ahead of Great Britain. Charles and Francois Hamelin also placed first in their heats in preliminaries for the 1,000 metres.
Vicent, Kalyna Roberge and Marianne St-Gelais all advanced in the women's 1,000 metres.
The 32 top-ranked athletes in the 500 and 1,000 metres will go on to the Olympic competition while the top 36 in the 1,500 will advance. Canada, as the host country, also receives an automatic spot in each distance, and in the 3,000 and 5,000 metres.
The number of boisterous Canadian fans brandishing noisemakers and handmade banners increased steadily at the arena as the skaters got closer to the semifinals and finals on the weekend.
Canada's men's Olympic squad also includes Francois-Louis Tremblay of Alma, Que.
The women's team also features Valerie Maltais of La Baie, Que. and Jessica Gregg of Edmonton.
