Calgary, Canada

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At had been a long wait, but after eight years Denis Kuzin (KAZ) could climb upon an international podium again. The 2013 World Champion took the 1000m title on the final day of competition at the Four Continents Championships in Calgary. He edged out Austin Kleba (USA) by 0.12 seconds. The US skater joined Ted-Jan Bloemen (CAN) on top of the individual medal ranking in the men’s competition, both having won two golds and a silver. Bloemen anchored Canada to an impressive Team Pursuit title to conclude the tournament on Friday.

Kuzin edges out Kleba 

When Kuzin entered the rink versus compatriot Alexandr Klenko (KAZ), Kleba and Tai Wei-Lin (TPE) had set the first and second time of the day in the penultimate pairing.

The 2013 World Champion started a little slower than Kleba, but made up for that in the second lap. With a 0.10-second advantage at the 600m split, the 33-year-old Kazak had to fight to the line to keep Kleba behind and he managed it in 1 minute and 8.63, just 0.12s ahead of the 22-year-old.

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Austin Kleba (USA) © International Skating Union (ISU)

“I did not think about the time or the pace,” Kuzin said. “I was actually battling the pain to a minor a groin injury.”

Kuzin found it hard to compare the world title to the Four Continents gold.

“It’s such a long time ago. I’ve not been on the podium or not won for eight years, so I’m really happy to be on top again.”

Kleba touches the sky

Kleba had no regrets coming second: “There's always stuff that you can do more in the race, and in the technique and stuff like that, but for how it was today, how it’s feeling, that was good. It was well executed. My competitors are strong, so congrats to them as well for how they did.”

Reflecting on his medal haul at the three-day tournament, music lover Kleba named Kayne West’s ‘Touch the Sky’ as the soundtrack to his tournament.

“It's been almost surreal. during the competition, you still got to keep that focus. I’ve got to race, so not celebrate too soon, but now that it's all over, I can kind of sit back, reevaluate my weekend and enjoy the fruits of my labor.”

Tai makes it a Chinese Taipei double

Tai Wei-Lin’s time of 1:09.19 was good enough for bronze, meaning he became the first male international speed skating medalist, after Huang Yu-Ting (TPE) had already won the first title for Chinese Taipei in the women’s 1000m.

“I just tried not to think too much about getting a medal, focus on good technique, look straight, don't look down, and get it,” he said. Like Huang, Tai hopes to inspire other inline skaters from his country to turn their attention to the ice.

Canadian climax in Team Pursuit

Ted-Jan Bloemen, Hayden Mayeur and Kaleb Muller (CAN) concluded the Four Continents Championships with a staggering time of 3 minutes and 37.21 seconds in the Team Pursuit, more than half a second faster than Bloemen had skated together with regular team mates Jordan Belchos and Connor Howe at the World Cup last weekend.

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Ted-Jan Bloemen, Hayden Mayeur and Kaleb Muller (CAN)  © International Skating Union (ISU)

Canada left second-placed Kazakhstan 14.37 seconds behind while South Korea took bronze in 3:54.37.

Canada’s fast time came as a surprise to Bloemen and his team-mates.

“We didn't have a time set in mind,” Mayeur said. “The first time the three of us have actually skated together was about two and a half hours ago.”

“A total of six laps together,” Bloemen said about their preparation. “So I thought that was pretty good, quite a bit quicker than last weekend. It shows the depth of the Canadian team.”

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About the ISU Four Continents Speed Skating Championships

As of season 2019/20 the Four Continents Championships are organized annually. The format for the Championships shall be decided by the ISU Council. The order of races and competitions for each day will be decided by the ISU in consultation with the organizer and the ISU Speed Skating Technical Committee. The format of the 2021/22 ISU World Four Continents Speed Skating Championships will have a Single Distance format.