Laurent Dubreuil 2nd in 500 metres at speed skating finals, can clinch season title Sunday | CBC Sports

The Levis, Que. native earned 108 points for the second-place finish, and has a 62-point lead over Shinhama, the next closest skater, in the season points standings. Shinhama took 120 points as the race winner.

Dubreuil had tested positive last week for COVID-19, and his status for this weekend’s races only became clear on Friday.

“It has been a completely crazy day. After finally getting the green light yesterday to participate, the only flight that would arrive on time left at 6 a.m. this morning. I left straight from the airport in Amsterdam to Thialf and arrived only an hour and a half before my race,” he said. “I didn’t think I was capable of doing a race like I did; I thought I would finish closer to tenth. I only trained once in the past eight days and also had to overcome COVID.

“My result is absolutely incredible given these circumstances and I am very happy.” 

Fellow Canadian Gilmore Junio finished in 35.293 for a 12th-place finish.

The skaters will compete in the final event in the discipline on Sunday, which you can watch on CBCSports.ca or the CBC Sports app, beginning at 7 a.m. ET.

Dubreuil won silver in the men’s 1,000 at last month’s Beijing Olympics, after a disappointing showing in his signature event. He finished fourth in the 500 in Beijing, the only time all season he missed the podium in the distance.

WATCH | Dubreuil inches closer to World Cup season title:

Canada’s Laurent Dubreuil shares silver in 500m at Heerenveen

Quebec City’s Laurent Dubreuil tied for second with a time of 34.532 in the men’s 500-metre race at the world cup speed skating final in Heerenveen, Netherlands. 1:26