Record-setting weekend

Island skaters win first medals at Canada East competition, P.E.I. named most improved team

Andrew Binns’ goals at the beginning of the speed skating season included winning a medal at the biggest and final event of the year.

He did that and more, earning two bronze medals and a silver at the Canada East Short Track Speed Skating Championships during the weekend in Ottawa.

“I was really happy with (the first medal) and to get three of them was just a complete joy and made me really happy,” he said Tuesday.

The 14-year-old Stratford native finished third in the 200- and 1,500-metre races on Saturday and completed his medal haul on Sunday with silver in the 400 metres. He finished third overall.

It was part of a record-setting weekend for Island speed skaters.

William Lyons won bronze medals in the 1,500- and 2,000metre point races while placing fourth overall in his division. Jenna Larter won silver in the 200 metres and finished fourth overall in her age division. They were the first medals Prince Edward Island has won at the event. Island skaters have competed in six of the seven years the championship has been held.

This year’s field included more than 120 of the best 11- to 15-year-old skaters from Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic Canada and Nunavut.

This year’s Island squad finished third in the medal count, set seven provincial records and was named the most improved team at the event. It finished second in most improved category the past two years. “Our skaters have been working hard for the past few years so it was great to see the results we did,” said coach Sarah Taylor. “All eight members of our team in Ottawa skated personal bests and six of them put their names on new provincial records. We could not have scripted it any better, we’re ecstatic.”

Larter, a 14-year-old Brookfield native, had competed in the event twice before. Her previous best finish was seventh in the 200 metres in 2016.

“It felt really great because it was my last year and it gave me something to remember Canada East,” said Larter. “It just shows how much I improved this season.”

Lyons, a 13-year-old Rock Barra native, was competing in the event for the first time. He crossed the finish line fourth in the 1,500 metres but received the bronze after the third-place finisher was disqualified. His coach gave him the news moments after the race ended.

“It was really exciting,” he said.

Lyons is looking forward to competing in the event again and hopes to make Team P.E.I. for the Canada Games.

All eight Island skaters, including Addison Bruce of Stratford, notched personal best times in the 400 metres, while Matt Kozma, Larter, Bruce, Binns and Kyle Connell also improved on their 200-metre times.

The skaters will now take a few weeks off before beginning the off-season training to prepare for next season.