October 15th, 2024, Charlottetown – Jenna Larter will make her second trip to the Canadian Long Track Championships in Quebec City later this week. Last year, Larter shocked the field, earning a silver medal in the 500-metre sprint in her debut long track season. This year, the Island speed skater will enter as one of the women’s sprint favourites.
P.E.I.’s Jenna Larter will compete at the 2024 Canadian Long Track Championships in Quebec City this week. Dave Holland / Speed Skating Canada photo.
Larter, from Brookfield, was named by Speed Skating Canada to the country’s NextGen long track speed skating team for the 2024-25 season earlier this year. She will step up to the start line in Quebec City with the second fastest 500-metre time among Canadian women this season, after clocking a time of 38.98 seconds at the Fall Classic event in Calgary in September. Larter will also race in the 1,000-metre event in Quebec, where she is the seventh fastest among Canadian women so far in this competitive campaign.
The Island speedster has garnered several podium performances already this season, after taking first overall in the 500-metres and second in the 1,000-metres at the Summer Classic in Calgary in August. In the Fall Classic event, Larter made her way onto the podium twice more in a pair of 500-metre events, in a deep field of Canadian, South Korean, Chinese and other international athletes, as she finished third overall and second among Canadians in both races.
The Canadian Long Track Championships, presented by Intact Insurance, will crown Canadian champions from among the country’s top speed skaters in each individual distance. It will also serve as a selection event for the team to represent Canada on the World Cup circuit this fall. Competitors will also earn points toward their Canadian ranking, which is used to help select athletes to the National and NextGen team programs for next season.
The championships get underway on Thursday afternoon, when Larter will skate in the first 500-metre event just after 5:30 pm EDT. She races in the second and final 500-metre event on Saturday, at approximately 12:40 EDT. Larter will also compete in the second 1,000-metre race on Sunday, also at 12:40 EDT. Live streaming, results and photos can be found at https://speedskating.ca/mec-events/2024-canadian-long-track-championships/.
For more information about Speed Skating PEI, visit www.speedskatingpei.ca.
