Short track: A look back at the Alta Valtellina Trophy in Bormio

From October 19th to 21st, skaters from several countries competed at the Alta Valtellina Trophy in Bormio, Italy.

Par Florence Gauthier

Photos: Bert van Lobenstein et Schaats Foto's

At the Alta Valtellina Trophy, the skaters were separated between Juniors (placed in 4 categories: A, B, C and D. A being the oldest.) and Seniors. They all had to compete in the distances of 500m, 1000m and 1500m. The 8 best skaters in each category had to make a super final at the end of the competition.

Mégan Boudrias and Sergei Milovanov victorious in the Juniors

Canada's Megan Boudrias was the winner in the Junior Women category. She managed to win the 1500m and the 1000m, in addition to a 2nd place in the 1500m Super Final and 4th in the 500m. Sofya Boytsova of Russia finished 2nd overall. After a tough final in the 1500m where she received a penalty, she was able to get back and finish 1st in the 500m and the super final of the 1500m. Léa Tessier of Canada completed the overall podium with her presence in each of the A finals, including her two podiums: 2nd place in the 500m and 3rd place in the 1500m super final.

On the men's side, Sergei Milovanov dominated the competition with his three first-place finishes in the 1500m, 500m and 1000m. He finished 6th in the 1500m Super Final, but his lead was so strong that he didn’t lose his first place in the overall standings. Behind him, was Canada's William Dandjinou. He managed to make the A final in the 500m and 1500m and won the 1st place in the 1500m super final. His Canadian compatriot, Nicolas Perreault, finished third overall. He finished second in the 500m and third in the 1500m super final.

Anna Seidel dominates in the women's senior category

In the women senior, Anna Seidel of Germany was the one who won the highest honors. She finished on the podium at each of the distances: 1st in the 1500m and 500m, as well as 2nd in the 1000m and the super final of the 3000m. Her closest competitor finished 50 points behind her. It was Canada's Danaé Blais, who was on the podium twice finishing 2nd in the 1500m and managing to defeat Anna Seidel in the 1000m by finishing 1st with a lead of 0.036 seconds. The only other skater to beat Anna Seidel on a distance was Elena Viviani of Italy in the 3000m super final. This victory helped her finish in 3rd place overall.

For the men's senior category, the competition was closer, but the overall podium was all Italian. Being on the podium in each of the distances (1st in the 500m, 2nd in the 3000m Super Final, 3rd in the 1500m and the 1000m) was Mattia Antonioli who finished in first place overall. In second place, was Tomasco Dotti who finished first in the 1500m and the super final of the 300, although he did not participate in the finals of the 500m and 1000m. Yuri Confortola climbed on the podium in the 1500m (2nd) and 1000m (1st), which took him to 3rd place overall.

Young Canadians are on the right track

Amongst, the other Canadians who competed in the A Juniors, some have managed to carve out a place with the bests. Léa Chamberland-Dostie of Trois-Rivières was third in the 500m. In the men's 1000m, Matej Pederson finished 2nd and Jean-Sebastien Beaulne 3rd with a personal best (1:26.730). Brendan Yamada managed to beat his personal record in the 1000m with a time of 1:26.147 while Philippe Daudelin skated personal bests in the 500m (42.146) and the 1000m (1:26,431). Seeing the results here as well as those previously stated at the beginning of the article, it goes without saying that young Canadians are on a good path in the beginning of the season.

You can find the full results HERE

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