McLEAN MAKES BIG STRIDES AT WORLD SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIP
Seventh-place finish for Winnipeg athlete stands as proof that ‘she’s on the right track’
On a routine basis, Kevin Crockett watches Heather McLean keep up with some of the fastest men in the world in training at Calgary’s Olympic Oval.
Stride for stride, McLean stays with the pack in spite of the inherent anatomical differences between men and women.
“There’s no other girl in the world who can do that, which tells me she has another gear which she is trying to find in racing,” Crockett says. “What she does behind guys is almost impossible for any other girl in the world to do.”
That extra gear has often eluded McLean while racing other women. But on Sunday, the Winnipeg native clocked two personal bests at the ISU World Sprint Speed Skating Championships in Calgary with a gutsy performance that she hopes is a sign of podium results to come.
In her signature distance of 500 metres, McLean finished fourth in 37.29 seconds. In her stretch distance of 1,000 metres, she crossed the line in ninth place in one minute 14.36 seconds.
The world sprint championships are held to determine the fastest male and female skaters on the planet. The first two races — 500 and 1,000 metres — took place Saturday, with the final two races in both distances running on Sunday.
Down and dejected, McLean went to bed Saturday night in 13th place overall. Via WhatsApp, Crockett sent the lone Canadian female skater in the event a message saying he wanted no excuses and personal bests on Sunday.
She delivered, rocketing up the standings to finish seventh overall.
“I wanted to see what she was made of,” Crockett said. “It’s a big victory in that sense.
“She showed she’s tough. There’s a lot of pressure for her with the big crowd and Mom and Dad in the stands and all that stuff. She showed up. It was a big breakthrough.”
It came in the final international competition of the year for McLean, who finished fifth earlier this month in the 500 metres at the world single distance championships.
McLean won four World Cup medals in the 2015-16 season. She failed to reach the podium in 2016-17.
“She had this whirlwind season last year, and I think there was a lot of expectation on her,” Crockett said. “For the most part, she’s underachieved this season.
“But the good news is underachieving for her is still really respectable finishes … This is a great way for her to cap the season and realize she’s on the right track.”
On Sunday, she displayed toughness she might not have
She showed she’s tough. There’s a lot of pressure for her with the big crowd … She showed up. It was a big breakthrough.
known she had.
“My coach is really hard on me, but I realize that just means he believes in me,” McLean said.
On Friday, McLean took a tumble in warm-ups, and she woke up sore on Saturday. After a good sleep Saturday night, she felt much more like herself.
“I’m definitely happier ending the season on a positive note,” she said. “By no means was this weekend perfect, but it was a step in the right direction for sure.”
If McLean believes in herself, Crockett figures she’s one to watch at the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.
“Heather is a real dark horse,” Crockett said. “It’s just a matter of what Heather shows up…
“No one is really expecting her to podium, but I am.”
On Sunday, Nao Kodaira of Japan won the women’s sprint title. The Netherlands’ Kai Verbij captured the men’s title. Laurent Dubreuil of Levis, Que., was sixth overall. Vincent De Haitre of Cumberland, Ont., finished ninth. Notes: Canadian Erik Guay’s magical run continued Sunday on the World Cup ski racing circuit with super G bronze in Kvitfjell, Norway.
At 35, Guay is arguably in the finest form of his career. Already the most decorated ski racer in Canadian history with 25 World Cup podiums, Guay is confident, healthy and in attack mode on every course.
“It’s fun to leave with a little bit of hardware,” Guay said Sunday. “When you’re playing with 100ths of a second, it’s so competitive at this level.
“I just felt like I put my foot down a little more today, skied really well technically and didn’t really make any mistakes.”
Italy’s Peter Fill claimed gold in one minute, 32.83 seconds. Austria’s Hannes Reichelt finished a 10th of a second back for second. Guay was .23 seconds back for third.