Setting new benchmarks

McQuaid, Larter smash P.E.I. records in Alberta

Peter McQuaid and Jenna Larter came up big in their last competition of the season, setting new provincial records at the recent Canadian junior selections competition in Calgary, Alta.

The pair also finished above their pre-event seedings and P.E.I. coach Sarah Taylor said she was more than pleased with the performances.

“When your athletes come up with their best performances in their biggest competitions, you can’t help but be very happy for them. Peter and Jenna have worked hard this year and these results should really build their confidence,” Taylor said. “At the same time, we know that our competition is also getting stronger and a big summer of training is going to be key for our whole team as we look ahead to next year’s Canada Winter Games.” McQuaid nabbed new P.E.I. records for intermediate men with times of 43.671 seconds in the 500 metres and 2:21.795 in the 1,500 metres, breaking Scott Beamish’s records set in 2010 in those events.

McQuaid advanced to the 1,500-metre B final, finishing 13th among the 59-skater field. The Charlottetown native also tallied a new P.E.I. record in his 1,000-metre distance, shaving time from his own provincial mark.

McQuaid’s 500-metre record time makes him the second fastest Islander of all time in the distance on the short track. His record times were the fastest ever recorded by an Islander while training on P.E.I.

He finished 28th overall at the four-day event, well above his original seed position of 48th.

Larter had similar results, finishing 22nd overall in the 42-skater female field while also smashing the P.E.I. junior women’s record in the 500metre distance.

The Brookfield skater recorded a time of 47.446 seconds in the distance, taking a whopping two seconds off the record time set by Carly Connell in 2014. Larter, who was skating in the national junior event for the first time, earned 15th place in the 500 metres.

After a tough first day of competition, Larter recovered and earned 24th and 25th-place finishes in the 1,500-metre and 1,000-metre distances, respectively. She entered the competition seeded 31st.

Larter, 15, now owns the third fastest short track times for an Island female at any age trailing only Jenna Gallant and Connell.

Full results and more at www. speedskatepei.ca.

PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GUARDIAN BY KRISTEN BINNS Charlottetown’s Peter McQuaid, foreground, pictured skating at an event in Halifax, N.S., in 2017, set three new P.E.I. provincial records at a Canadian junior short track event in Calgary recently.