SASKATOON — Speedskating has delivered for Team Saskatchewan at the 2023 Canada Winter Games in Charlottetown, PEI.
Luca Veeman added another gold for Team Saskatchewan in speedskating’s long-track mass start event at the Emera Oval in Halifax, N.S., a few hours after Jordan Carroll topped the pommel horse in men’s gymnastics on Friday, Feb. 24.
Veeman won another bronze earlier in the day to up his medal collection to five.
Veeman, during a media briefing before heading back to Charlottetown, said making split-second decisions is part of speedskating after going with his instinct of not following Alberta’s Daniel Hall in the last two laps.
“Especially with the windy conditions [Friday], a lot of was trying to shelter me, not to use the draft and not waste too much energy on the front. There’s a lot of following and trying to make sure I was in the right position at the right time,” said Veeman.
“Coming into the [final] two laps, I found myself stuck with a decision whether to follow Daniel Hall of Alberta, who I know would be a frontrunner or hop on to another train coming up on my left-hand side with other fast skaters.”
He then decided to hop on the train to the left, pushing him inside with Jaylen Dolan heading into the final lap and staying close to the Alberta skater until making his move by diving on the inside and breaking free for the gold.
“There is much thinking that goes into it. Funny enough, I feel like it’s almost like in my subconscious. It is not the same as asking yourself a question in your head. Decisions are made, and you think about it after the race. Whether [you made the] right or wrong [move],” said Veeman, who was visibly ecstatic after completing the trifecta with his two silver and two bronze medals.
“I guess a big part is making sure you are prepared enough to make the right decisions in the heat of the moment. For instance, deciding to stay with Daniel or hop on Jalen in the last two laps was probably a tenth of a second of a window. The opportunity to get on Jalen at the right spot and time is just a moment gone so quickly. It is almost my subconscious.”
He added that it was his goal to win gold in the games all week but came up short in some events that he thinks he had a better chance of finishing on top.
“I knew in some races I had a better shot of winning. I had not thought I had a good shot at the gold in the [1500 long-track]. The team pursuit was another one we narrowly missed out on. Going into the last race [mass start], I thought the gold might not happen. It was much better when I crossed the line first,” said Veeman.
“It is a great moment [winning gold]. I was not disappointed with any of the other races and was not expecting gold or anything. [Winning] silver was such a great moment in 1500. I knew I had a shot at gold, but the silver was still rewarding. The gold medal in the last race was a great moment for me, and I am not excited to leave yet.”
