La journée de lundi a été difficile pour les Canadiens Denny Morrison et Vincent De Haître, respectivement 13e et 21e du 1500m, à l’Anneau de glace de Gangneung. Champion du monde en titre, le Néerlandais Kjeld est quant à lui monté sur la plus haute marche du podium.
Ce n'était certainement pas le début de Jeux olympiques dont rêvait le patineur d'Ottawa Vincent De Haître. L'athlète de 23 ans a pris le 21e rang du 1500m en patinage de vitesse sur longue piste avec un temps de 1min 47s 32/100, mardi matin.
De Haître avait pourtant des espoirs de médaille. Un accident hors glace l'a toutefois forcé à y participer pratiquement sur une seule jambe et a miné les chances du patineur.
Vincent De Haître’s Olympic dreams are coming true for the second time. After taking gold in the 1000 and 1500 metre races at the national qualifying rounds, the 23-year-old Cumberland, Ontario native will represent Canada on the world stage this February in Pyeongchang.
In 2014, De Haître made his Olympic debut as the youngest Canadian speed skater at the Games. However, it’s this past season that’s been a personal best for the long-track athlete as he broke a world record in the team sprint event, captured a silver medal at the ISU World Sprint Championships and became the first Canadian speed skater to come in under the 1:07.00 mark in the 1000 m event—a childhood dream for him.
The speed skater's 'really big legs' make him a monster on the rink.
Vincent De Haitre, who was named the Male Athlete of the Year, had an even better excuse – he was on his way to Korea for the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games.
What the 23-year-old has already accomplished in speed skating is remarkable. Last year, he was named Speed Skating Canada’s Male Athlete of the Year in long track. A silver-medal performance in the 1000m at the ISU World Single Distance Championships was paired with a second-place finish at the World Cup final. De Haitre, already a two-time Olympian, also anchored Canada’s men’s sprint team to a new world record and a gold medal at the world championships.
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