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First World Sprints success for Denny Morrison
Even though not all Canadian men will look back equally pleased on the World Sprint Championships in Hamar after (almost) falls took them out of the competition, Denny Morrison is more than satisfied after his debut at the World Sprints. He managed to place seventh overall after two solid 1000m’s and winning a bronze medal in the second 1000m, and is now looking forward to the World All-round Championships that will take place from February 9th until 11th in Heerenveen.
By Jolanda Abbes
How do you look back on the World Sprint Championships? Overall satisfied?
‘Better than satisfied. I would have been satisfied with a top 16 finish overall, however my goal was top 10, so to be seventh at my first World Sprint Championships, I was very happy.’
Are you pleased with your races at the World Sprints?
‘The 500m races went OK. I think that the times represent quite good races for me, considering I was only 0.6 off of my personal best, whereas many of the top skaters were over a second off of their personal bests. I still am anxious to lower my opener, as that will be the key in lowering my overall time. The 1000m races went very well. I especially liked being paired with Shani Davis in the first race, because it helped me to focus on my skating, rather than being worried about what my pair was going to do. It was great to be able to chase him, and there was a point in that race with 350m to go where I believed I actually had a chance to beat him. His last corner is so strong however that it makes sense that he won the 1000m on both days. My second 1000m was also good. I went into that race ranked tenth, and knew that I had to beat my pair by 0.3 seconds in order to beat him overall, for ninth. Despite knowing this, I still kept focus on my race, and tried to skate it just like the last one. I knew that the inner corner on the first lap was going to be crucial for me, and this is where I wanted to attack the hardest. Having a background in short track speed skating, I knew I could jam Hamar's tight inner corners at max speed much better than several of the other competitors. And although it made absolutely no difference overall, it felt good to win back that 0.01 seconds from Erben in the second 1000m, to beat him off the podium for third, the same way that he did to me on the first day! It was a tight group of skaters out there, and for me to have some solid races without any unnecessary kicks or slips, is what kept me on the positive side of the bubble.’
Photo credit: Meijco van Velzen, www.meijco.nl
The cross-over in your first 500m looked potentially problematic. Was it of influence on that race?
‘Not at all, however it just goes to show how bad my opener is, and how much ground I am losing in 0.4 seconds, compared to the best sprinters in the world. Also seeing your pair carry their momentum from that great opener, as they drift ahead of you despite your best efforts down the back stretch, it gets me fired up to get working on bringing down my opening time.’
How 'excellent' would you rate your races at the World Sprints?
‘Based on my expectations going into this competition, I would say that especially my 1000m races were borderline excellent. I know there is room for more development and improvement through growth and experience, however given this weekend, at this time, I am very happy to have made the podium at a competition where all of the fastest skaters are present.’
It was your debut at the World Sprints, so how do you look back on this new experience?
‘Even in Canada I have never done a full sprint competition, with two 500m’s and two 1000m’s all in one weekend. I was happy with how I handled it though, and felt as though I could not have prepared myself any better.’
Is sprints something you would like to keep doing in the future?
‘Sprints are definitely something which I would like to continue to do in the future. I believe that with a better opener, and some more experience in these races and competitions, I can challenge for overall podium finishes.’
After the World Sprints, you will now be focusing on an all-round competition again with the World All-round Championships coming up soon. Last week Erben Wennemars qualified for the World All-rounds. Do you consider him to be an important opponent to you?
‘I see Wennemars as an important opponent to any competitor, in any competition. He is one of the strongest, most fit, and experienced athletes in the sport, and knows how to best prepare himself for a competition better than anyone. Wennemars will have the crowd behind him in Heerenveen, making him even tougher than ever, so I look forward to putting up my best fight against him in an all-round competition.’
