David La Rue skates in the men's 1000m during the long track speed skating Canadian Championships at the Olympic Oval in Calgary, Alberta on October 15, 2021. (Photo: Dave Holland/Speed Skating Canada)

U SPORTS and Speed Skating Canada are proud to announce the Canadian long track speed skaters selected to represent Canada at the 2023 FISU World University Winter Games, taking place in Lake Placid next January.

Eight Canadian student-athletes will hit the outdoor ice at the James B. Sheffield Olympic Skating Rink – the site where Gaétan Boucher won silver in the 1000m at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games – with hopes of winning Canada’s first-ever speed skating medal at the FISU World University Games.

An optional sport at the Winter Universiade, speed skating will be making its 12th appearance in Lake Placid. The sport made its debut at Innsbruck 1968 for men and Rovaniemi 1970 for women.

The speed skating program for the 2023 FISU World University Winter Games runs from January 15-20 and will feature the men’s and women’s 500m, 1000m, 1500m, Mass Start and Team Pursuit. The women will also take part in the 3000m, while the men will skate the 5000m.

The Canadian team was selected based on their results at the 2022 Canadian Long Track Speed Skating Championships, which took place in Quebec City from October 13-16. These eight skaters will be lead in Lake Placid by national program assistant coaches and Olympians Shannon Rempel and Muncef Ouardi, with support from physiotherapist Lauren Vickery.

Athletes

  • Laura Hall (Salmon Arm, B.C.; University of Calgary)
  • Rose-Anne Grenier (Sainte-Marie, Que.; Laval University)
  • Anna Bourgeois (Calgary, Alta.; University of Calgary)
  • Laurie Cayer (Lévis, Que.; Laval University)
  • Frank Roth (Calgary, Alta.; University of Calgary)
  • David La Rue (Montreal, Que.; Laval University)
  • Joshua Telizyn (Fort St. John, B.C.; Thompson Rivers University)
  • Hubert Marcotte (Pont-Rouge, Que.; Laval University)

Staff

  • Shannon Rempel, Coach and Team Leader (Winnipeg, Man.)
  • Muncef Ouardi, Coach (Québec City, Que.)
  • Lauren Vickery, Physiotherapist (Edmonton, Alta.)