Canadian men win team sprint gold at Four Continents speed skating championships

Canadians won two of the four events on the opening day of the Four Continents speed skating championships on Friday, part of a three-medal haul at the Utah Olympic Oval.

Anders Johnson joined Olympians Laurent Dubreuil and Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu atop the men’s team sprint podium, while Connor Howe followed it up with a gold medal of his own in the men’s 1,500 metres.

The Canadian trio skated to gold in one minute 18.54 seconds, winning the event by over three seconds in Kearns, Utah, near Salt Lake City. Kazakhstan placed second in 1:21.71, followed by South Korea (1:22.01).

WATCH l Canadian men skate to team sprint gold:

Fellow Canadian Olympian Howe topped the podium with a time of 1:43.19. The 23-year-old from Canmore, Alta., finished ahead of American Emery Lehman (1:44.03) and Japan’s Ryota Kojima (1:44.40).

Vincent De Haître of Cumberland, Ont., was 12th in 1:47.69.

WATCH l Howe captures 1,500m title:

Canada’s Connor Howe captures 1,500m title at Four Continents

Canmore, Alta. native Connor Howe wins the men’s 1,500-metre event at the Four Continents Speed Skating Championships in Salt Lake City with a time of 1:43.19.

Canada opened the competition with a bronze medal in the women’s team sprint, as Carolina Hiller, Maddison Pearman and Ivanie Blondin finished just 0.41 seconds behind the United States with a time of 1:25.41. Japan captured gold (1:24.32).

Watch live coverage of the Four Continents speed skating championships on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem, continuing Saturday at 4 p.m. ET with the women’s 500m.

WATCH l Canada takes home bronze in women’s team sprint:

Canada opens up Four Continents with bronze in women’s team sprint

Canadians Carolina Hiller, Maddison Pearman and Ivanie Blondin finish third in the women’s team sprint event at the ISU Four Continents Speed Skating Championships from Salt Lake City.

Ottawa’s Isabelle Weidemann will look to add to Canada’s haul in the women’s 5,000m and 3,000m — the events she took silver and bronze in, respectively, at the 2022 Olympics. She’ll also join Blondin and Valérie Maltais to reunite the gold-medal trio in the women’s team pursuit.

Weidemann skipped the World Cup’s two European stops last month to prepare for the closing North American leg of the season. It includes World Cup meets at the Utah Oval and in Quebec City the next two weeks before the world championships in Calgary in mid-February.

WATCH l Full replay of Day 1 events at Utah Olympic Oval:

ISU Four Continents Speed Skating Championships Salt Lake City: Day 1

Watch the opening day of competition at the ISU Four Continents Speed Skating Championships from Salt Lake City.