"That was for my daughter": Canada's Dubreuil rebounds for Olympic speedskating silver

Canadian speed skater Laurent Dubreuil is certainly happy with his silver finish in the 1000-metre race.

He knows his daughter will be.

And, after a crushing loss almost a week ago in the 500-metre event, Dubreuil is dedicating the medal to his family. 

“That was for my daughter,” Dubreuil told CBC post-race. “I much rather be winning, but she prefers when I finish second because she’s two years old and for her two is much better than one, so I told her I’m second, just like your age. 

“I don’t even know if she was awake, but I hope she sees it, and I’m really looking forward to calling them later today.”

"That was for my daughter, I much rather be winning but she prefers when I finish second because she's two years old and for her 2 is much better than 1" ❤️

Laurent Dubreuil on 1000m silver 🇨🇦🥈 pic.twitter.com/AbMBd5tmYc

— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 18, 2022

Dubreuil, who finished fourth in the men’s 500 metres — missing the podium by just three –hundreds of a second, earned silver in the 1000-metre race to bring home Canada’s 24th medal of the 2022 Beijing Olympics. 

The 29-year-old from Lévis, QC, finished in a time of 1:08.32, four-hundreds of a second behind Thomas Krol of the Netherlands for gold.

“I figured out that I was in the shape of my life, and I just had a bad day six days ago and just skated a bit heavy,” he said. “I gave myself 24 hours, but it probably took me 72 to get over it.

“Showed up here today that I wasn’t the favourite, but I could do it. Had good legs and just needed to skate a bit smoother, a bit more relaxed, and I managed to do that while going faster. It really was good execution today, and I’m really happy.”

What a moment for Canada's Laurent Dubreuil 🥈

After a fourth place finish in the 500m he was HUNGRY and skated to silver in the 1000m 👏

Watch on the CBC Sports App or on @cbcgem pic.twitter.com/eG1t9jJWyH

— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 18, 2022

Dubreuil earned his way into the hearts of Canadians with his perspective after the tough 500-metre defeat on February 12. It was the first time he failed to earn a medal in all eight previous World Cup races this season.

“I was happy in life yesterday, and I didn’t have an Olympic medal, so the situation for me is the same. My family for sure is who I’m thinking about right now,” Dubreuil said after last week’s loss, according to CBC.

He kept the same perspective even after winning. 

“Right now, I just want to share it with my family and enjoy it with my family,” he said. “When I get up in the morning and see my daughter, I’m not thinking about Olympic medals or world championship medals. I’m just thinking of enjoying the moment. 

“I have another month on the road, so when I’m home, I’m probably totally over it and just looking forward to seeing them. This is just sport. But this is not who I am. This is what I do right now, and hopefully for a few years still, but at some point, I won’t be doing it, and I’ll still be the same person. It’s just a really good day, but I”m just looking forward to seeing my family right now.”

Silver is a marked improvement for Dubreuil in the event. 

Dubreuil finished 25th in the same event during his Olympic debut at the 2018 PyeongChang Games. 

Canada has four gold, seven silver, and 13 bronze medals at the 2022 Winter Games. The overall medal total is third after Norway (34) and the Russian Olympic Committee (27).

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