Lethbridge's Gavin Ogilvie competing at the Canadian Youth Long Track Speed Skating Championship qualifier in Red Deer, which took place January 14 and 15, 2023. (Photo: Jeff Wigglesworth, Red Deer Speed Skating Club)

By Justin Goulet

Success in Red Deer for local speed skaters

Jan 20, 2023 | 6:51 AM

RED DEER, AB – Young speed skaters in Lethbridge continue to have success on the ice.

On Saturday, January 14 and Sunday, January 15, 2023, four athletes from the Lethbridge Speed Skating Association took part in the Canadian Youth Long Track Speed Skating Championship qualifier in Red Deer. They each participated in seven races, ranging in distances from 300 to 3,000 metres.

The top two finishers in each category automatically qualified for the National Championships. The others were able to qualify based on their national ranking in the 500-metre event. The National Championships take place February 4 and 5, 2023 in Fort St. John, British Columbia.

In the Youth Male 13 category, Lethbridge’s Gavin Ogilvie won all seven of his races to win gold.

In the Youth Female 11 division, Claire Peake earned her first podium finish in long track speed skating with a bronze medal. She was able to qualify as one of the top 11-year-old skaters in the province.

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Zosia Adelman finished fifth and Zoe Wesseling ended in sixth in the Youth Female 12 category. Adelman managed to qualify for Nationals.

MIKKA EAVES

Meanwhile, another local competitor, Mikka Eaves, competed last weekend at the Short Track Canada Cup #1 in Laval, Quebec. The event was the second of three chances for athletes to earn Senior National Ranking points. The race featured skaters from the National and NextGen teams, in addition to the top remaining 40 skaters in Canada.

Mikka finished 33^rd overall, which puts her in a position to finish the season strongly at the upcoming Western Elite Circuit event in Calgary and the Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island. Both of those events take place in February.

Read more local sports at Lethbridge News Now.