Canada's Laurent Dubreuil sits in top spot of sprint event at speed skating worlds

Canada's Laurent Dubreuil is in pole position for a gold medal at the World Allround Speed Skating Championships.

The Lévis, Que., native posted the fastest combined times across 500- and 1,000-metre races on Thursday in Inzell, Germany.

Dubreuil, 31, was first in the former race with a time of 34.47 seconds, and held onto his current spot atop the podium with the sixth-fastest time in the 1,000 at one minute 8.31 seconds.

Every sprinter will return to the ice Friday to skate each of the two races again. The combined times of the four individual events determine the final standings and medal winners. Long-distance events take place on Saturday and Sunday.

WATCH | Dubreuil 1st in 500:

Quebec's Laurent Dubreuil wins 1st 500m race at World Sprint championships

9 months ago

Duration 5:08

Laurent Dubreuil of Lévis, Que., opened his quest for the World Sprint Title, by claiming victory in the first men's 500-metre race, at the ISU World Speed Skating Allround & Sprint Championships in Inzell, Germany.

Yankun Zhao, the only other Canadian in the men's sprint field, placed 23rd overall with a total time of 71.370 through Thursday's action.

Maddison Pearman, the lone Canadian competing in the women's sprint events, sat 22nd after posting times of 39.13 seconds in the 500 and 1:17.67 in the 1,000.

Japan's Miho Takagi is in the top spot after posting a track-record time of 1:13.32 in the 1,000 to follow her second-place finish in the 500. In February, Canadian skaters won a national-record 10 medals at the single-distance championships in Calgary.

Live coverage from Germany continues Friday at 1 p.m. ET on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.