2024-2025 Season Recap

The 2024-2025 season was one of many successes for Speed Skating Ontario (SSO) athletes.

Within Canada, SSO skaters attended Short Track and Long Track Canadian Championships (Senior, Junior, Neo-Junior and Youth), Canada Cups and raced passionately at our Ontario Elite, Provincial and Regional Championships events.

On the international racing stage, five Ontario athletes represented Canada at Junior and Senior Long Track World Cups and World Championships, and the Four Continents Championships. Over twenty Ontario Masters represented Canada at the Masters International Short Track Games, and two Special Olympic Athletes from Ontario represented Canada at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Italy.

As we build toward the Milano-Cortina Olympic Winter Games in 2026 and the Canada Winter Games in 2027 in Québec City, we are encouraged to see our athletes gaining racing experience and having success on the national and international racing stage.

Here are some of the racing highlights and podium performances from the 2024-2025 season:

Short Track

In September, seven Ontario athletes competed at the Short Track Canadian Championships in Montréal. Renée Steenge won Bronze in each of the 500m, 1000m and 1500m and finished 7th overall. Other top results include Adam Law and Matthew Freitag, finishing 20th and 21st overall respectively, and Aaralyn McGill finishing 13th among the top senior athletes in Canada. Sherise Gratton, Owen Currie and Reno Thompson also represented Ontario at the Canadian Short Track Championships.

In October, Émilie Caserta qualified for the Canadian Junior Short Track Championships in Laval. Émilie raced in the B division, earning Silver in the 500m (1) and 500m (2), and Bronze in the 1500m.

In November, thirteen Ontario-based athletes qualified for the Canadian Neo-Junior Short Track Championships in Rivière-du-Loup. Sophia Ashley-Martin, Charlotte Babin, Paula Delvasto, Lexy George, Cole Gimby, Andi Guo, Allie Hubert, Kal Lantagne, Maxime Létourneau, Isla Mason, Ethan Pollock, Charlotte Rockburn and Violet Velicevic all represented Ontario at the Championships and experienced racing at the Neo-Junior level, for many of these skaters for the first time.

In December, nine Ontario athletes raced at the Canadian Short Track Invitational in Montréal - an international event that sees skaters from Indonesia, Singapore, the Netherlands and the USA join Canadian speed skaters to gain international racing experience. Émilie Caserta, Dora Song, Allie Hubert and Haniya Jackson joined five Ontario athletes who are based at training centres - Aaralyn McGill, Adam Law, Matthew Freitag, Charlie Cotton and Reno Thompson - in representing Canada at this international event! Top results from Ontario athletes included top 10 results from Matthew (4th in 500m), Adam (7th in 500m) and Aaralyn (Silver in the 500m).

In January, six Ontario athletes raced at Canada Cup 1 in Sherbrooke - Renée Steenge, Aaralyn McGill, Matthew Freitag, Adam Law, Owen Currie and Reno Thompson. Aaralyn (13th), Matthew (13th) and Adam (18th) all improved their rank at this national ranking event.

Four Ontario athletes raced at the Junior Open in Prince George, BC. The team was led by Provincial Short Track Team Coach, Alphonse Ouimette, who returned to Prince George for the first time since racing there in the 2015 Canada Winter Games. Dora Song, Jack Murray and Nigel Emblin all finished with top 20 rankings, earning a place in the Short Track Canada Cup Junior Final in March. Ian Milne rounded out the Ontario team and had success in the final Junior National competition of his career.

Two SSO athletes and Coach Benton McNicol represented Canada at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Turin, Italy on March 7-16, 2025. Of Canada's 13 speed skating medals, 5 were won by the 2 SSO athletes! Ewen Barclay won Gold in the 1500m, Bronze in the 1000m (PB), and Bronze in the 500m. Ella Robinson-Renaud won Gold in the 222m (PB), Bronze in the 500m (PB), Fourth in the 333m.

March was a busy month of year-end short track competitions.

Seven Ontario skaters raced at the Short Track Canada Cup Final in Calgary on March 14-16, 2025: Renée Steenge, Aaralyn McGill, Sherise Gratton, Matthew Freitag, Adam Law, Owen Currie and Reno Thompson. Renée Steenge finished 4th overall and 3rd in the 1000m(1), 1000m(2) and 500m(2). Aaralyn McGill finished 10th overall and 6th in the 1500m(1) and 500m(2).Adam Law finished 7th overall and 5th in the 1000m(2) and 4th in the 500m (2). Matthew Freitag finished 12th overall and 5th in the 500m(2).

46 SSO athletes and 6 Coaches represented Team Ontario at the 2025 Canadian Youth Short Track Championships (East) in Dieppe, New Brunswick. Team Ontario earned 16 individual medals and a number of Super Final wins. Racing highlights include:

Chloé Létourneau (11 Girls) - Silver 400m, Bronze 1500m

Eric Yu (11 Boys) - Gold 400m, Silver 800m

Leon Guo (11 Boys) - Silver 1500m, Bronze 400m, winner 1000m F Final

Jianing Wang (12 Girls) Gold 400m, Gold 1500m, Gold 800m, and winner 1000m A Final

Noah Logan (12 Boys) - 400m Silver

Sayan Vasanthamalan (12 Boys) - 400m Bronze

Félix Paiement (13 Boys) - Gold 400m, Silver, 800m, Bronze 1500m

Ryan Chen (13 Boys) - Gold 800m, Silver 1500m, winner 1000m A Final

Autumn Vandermeer - Winner 1000m D Final

Laurie Paquette - Winner 1000m E Final

Charis Lee - Winner 1000m I Final

Chloe Gould - Winner 1000m J Final

Coaches Alphonse Ouimette, Blake Morrison, Zach Hunt, Rachel George, Alain Simard and Sammy Holmes supported Team Ontario at the Youth Championships.

Over 20 Ontario Masters athletes represented Team Canada at the 2025 Masters International Short Track Games (MIST) in Drummondville, QC. Ontario athletes earned medals in all events including individual distances, Mixed Team and 3000m relays, as well as many Personal Bests and even World Records! Racing highlights include:

Heidi Beck (30-34) - Silver 500m, Gold 777m, Silver 1500m

Christina Yager (40-44) - Gold 1000m, Gold 500m, Gold (World Record) 777m, Gold 1500m

Lise Bouchard (50-54) - Bronze 1000m, Silver 500m, Bronze 777m,

Jen Benediktson (55-59) - Silver 1000m, Silver 500m, Silver 777m, Silver 1500m

Rob McGill (45-49) - Bronze 1000m, Silver 500m, Bronze 777m, Bronze 1500m

Paul Pickard (55-59) - Gold 1000m, Bronze 777m, Silver 1500m

Cameron Boyd (60-64) - Bronze 500m, Bronze 1500m

Patrick Murphy (65-69) - Bronze 500m

Ed VandenDool (65-69) - Silver 1500m

Mixed Team Relay: Heidi Beck - Silver

Canadian Women's Relay: Christina Yager and Lise Bouchard - Bronze

Coach Jonathan Wong from Gloucester supported the Ontario athletes at MIST.

The short track season concluded with Speed Skating Ontario and the Newmarket Jets Speed Skating Club hosting the 2025 Short Track Canada Cup Junior Final in Newmarket on March 28-30. The event was funded in part by the Government of Ontario.

120 qualified skaters from 7 Provinces attended this culminating event on Speed Skating Canada's junior national racing calendar. Results from this event determine National Junior Rankings for the 2024-2025 season.

This event allowed SSO to showcase our amazing facilities, Officials, Coaches, Volunteers and Staff to the speed skating community in Canada. Many Officials and Coaches were trained, upgraded and evaluated on their skills at this event. The event legacy projects will allow us to incorporate new technology into our future Ontario competitions.

11 athletes represented Ontario at the Canada Cup Junior Final: Émilie Caserta, Dora Song, Jack Murray, Allie Hubert, Haniya Jackson, Lexy George, Isla Mason, Katarina Culhane, Charlotte Babin, Adella Akanko and Nigel Emblin

Racing highlights include:

Émilie Caserta - top 10 finish 500m(1) Group A; 1st in 1500m(2) B Final

Dora Song - 2nd in 500m(2) A Final Group B

Isla Mason - A Final appearance in 1500m(1 & 2) Group B

Haniya Jackson - 3rd in 1000m A Final Group B

Jack Murray - 1st in 1000m A Final Group C

Lexy George - 1st in 1000m C Final Group C

Nigel Emblin - Group A appearances in 1500m(1&2) and 500m(1)

We would like to send a sincere thank you to the over 50 Ontario Officials, Volunteers and Coaches who made the Canada Cup Junior Final event a success! Finally, thank you to the Newmarket Jets Speed Skating Club for co-hosting the event!

Long Track

This season, a growing number of Long Track skaters raced at the top national and international events, demonstrating their dedication to training and perseverance in the long track discipline. Some of the top finishes and season highlights include:

Eight Ontario athletes participated in the Long Track Canadian Championships in Québec City on October 17–20: Ivanie Blondin, Claire Mallard, Rachel Mallard, Hayden Mayeur, Connor Waters, Vincent De Haître, Ryan Gibson and Sebastian Champagne. Our skaters rose to the occasion with a series of podium finishes and personal bests. Ivanie Blondin swept the podium with Gold medals in the 1500m, 1000m, and 3000m, plus a Bronze in the 500m. Her dominance in both sprint and distance events is outstanding. Hayden Mayeur earned Gold in the unpredictable Mass Start event and Connor Waters won his first senior national Bronze medal in the 10,000m. Vincent De Haître posted strong finishes in the 1500m (5th) and 1000m (6th), showing that he is a consistent top-tier competitor in the middle distance races. Claire Mallard finished 4th in the 5000m and 7th in the 3000m, demonstrating that she is a top contender in the long distance events.

In December, five Junior and 12 Neo-Junior Ontario athletes made the trip to Fort St John, BC, to participate in the Canadian Junior and Neo-Junior Long Track Championships. Katarina Culhane, Blanche Cardinal-Tremblay, Alex Wood, Cameron Mason and Denis Berthelot raced in the Junior Championships. Charlotte Babin, Kal Lantagne, Isla Mason, Violet Velicevic, Abby Karcher, Maxime Létourneau, Cole Gimby, Toby Bettez, Kylian Van Bélanger, Declan McNamee, Oliver Beasley and Henry Ormsbee represented Ontario at the Neo-Junior Championships. These athletes each experienced personal success and gained national racing experience. Alex Wood had an outstanding competition, earning Silver in the 500m and 1000m, and Gold in the Mass Start, earning his place on Team Canada for the Junior World Cups and World Junior Championships in Italy. Other racing highlights include a 5th place finish for Denis Berthelot in the 5000m in the Junior Championships, and Silver in the Mass Start and a 5th place finish in the 3000m for Cole Gimby in the Neo-Junior Championships.

In January, 18 Ontario athletes raced at Long Track Canada Cup 1 in Calgary: Ivanie Blondin, Isabelle Weidemann, Claire Mallard, Rachel Mallard, Blanche Cardinal-Tremblay, Daria Vogt, Brielle Durham, Jake Weidemann, Vincent De Haître, Hayden Mayeur, Sebastian Champagne, Connor Waters, Ryan Gibson, Nate Sutherland, Cam Mason, Matthew Laxton, Alex Wood and Denis Berthelot. Top podium performances came from Jake Weidemann who earned Gold in Mass Start and Bronze in the 1500m, Isabelle Weidemann winning Gold in the 5000m, and Ivanie Blondin who won Gold in the Mass Start and Bronze in the 5000m. Claire Mallard and Hayden Mayeur each had strong showings in the Mass Start, finishing just off the podium in 4th place.

In February, 14 Ontario athletes qualified for the Canadian Youth Long Track Championships in Fort St John, BC. Team Ontario was led by Coaches Mike Murray, Janelle Boulianne and Zach Hunt. Ontario athletes earned 17 individual medals, including:

Maria Lysenok (11 girls) - Gold in 500m, 300m, 1500m, 7 Lap Mass Start Chloé Létourneau (11 girls) - Silver in 500m, Bronze in 7 Lap Mass Start, Bronze in 1500m Simoné Thompson (11 girls) - Bronze in 500m, Silver in 300m Laurie Paquette (13 girls) - Bronze in 7 Lap Mass Start and 300m Mass Start Noah Logan (12 boys) - Gold in 500m and 1500m, Silver in 7 Lap Mass Start, Bronze in 300m

Félix Paiement (13 boys) - Silver in 500m, 7 Lap ISU Mass Start, 1500m

Other racing highlights from Ontario skaters include multiple top 5 finishes, lots of Personal Bests, and top placements in the Team Pursuit and 1000m Open races.

12 Ontario athletes raced at the Long Track Canada Cup Final in Québec City in March. Four Ontario athletes made their Senior Long Track National Competition debut at this event: Maddox Champagne, Camden Bettez, Charlotte Babin and Cole Gimby. Claire Mallard captured Bronze in the 3000m, and finished 4th in the Mass Start and 3000m. Connor Waters won Bronze in the 10,000m, and placed 5th in the 5000m and 4th in the Mass Start. Sebastian Champagne had a breakout senior national meet, earning Bronze in the Mass Start and earning top-10 finishes in the 1000m (9th), 500m (8th) and 1500m (11th). Vincent De Haître again had strong showings in the 1500m (5th) and 1000m (4th) while Ryan Gibson raced to 4th in the 500m and 7th in the 1000m. Rachel Mallard delivered steady performances across events, with top-10 finishes in the 1000m (10th) and 3000m (7th), and strong ranking in the 1500m (11th). Cam Mason showed his strength in the long distances, finishing 16th in the 5000m and Charlotte Babin had consistent performances, earning 19th in the 3000m. Sprinter, Blanche Cardinal Tremblay, finished 14th in the 500m and Maddox Champagne placed 15th in the 500m. Cole Gimby completed his first senior national Mass Start race, finishing 12th in the A final against the top skaters in Canada.

On the international senior racing stage, four Ontario athletes - Ivanie Blondin, Isabelle Weidemann, Jake Weidemann and Hayden Mayeur - represented Canada at Senior Long Track World Cups this season. Highlights and podium performances include: Ivanie Blondin - Gold (3000m) WC1 Nagano; Mixed Relay Bronze WC1 Nagano and WC4 Milwaukee; Team Sprint Gold WC1 Nagano, Gold WC3 Calgary, Silver WC5 Poland; Mass Start Bronze WC5 Poland, Silver WC6 Heerenveen. Isabelle Weidemann - Bronze WC2 Beijing, 4th WC6 Heerenveen.

Hayden Mayeur, Isabelle Weidemann and Ivanie Blondin represented Canada at the Four Continents Championships in Japan. Hayden won Bronze in the Mass Start and Team Pursuit, Isabelle won Silver in the 3000m and Ivanie won Bronze in the 1500m and 3000m, and Gold in the Team Sprint and Mass Start events.

Jake Weidemann, Ivanie Blondin and Isabelle Weidemann competed at the World Speed Skating Championships in Hamar, Norway. Ivanie won Silver in Team Sprint, Silver in Mass Start and Bronze in Team Pursuit. Isabelle won Bronze in Team Pursuit.

We would like to extend a huge round of applause to all our Ontario skaters for demonstrating dedication, resilience and the True Sport Principles throughout the 2024-2025 season. Congratulations to all athletes who competed and represented Ontario with pride!

Whether you were chasing medals or personal bests, your hard work and passion for skating fast continues to inspire the next generation of speed skating stars in Ontario. As we look ahead to the Olympic year in 2026 and Canada Winter Games in 2027, we look forward to cheering our Ontario athletes to continued success.

#weSKATEfast