Speed skater gets backup spot at world cup

By Medicine Hat News on February 1, 2020.

Josh Hathaway moved to Calgary to pursue his speed skating dreams.

Next week in Calgary, one of them will come true.

The 20-year-old Hatter was named an alternate for Canada’s team at the upcoming world cup races next weekend.

He’ll only race if someone gets hurt, but gets to wear the maple leaf anyhow alongside the nation’s best.

“Because it’s a Calgary world cup they’re giving more opportunities to (local) skaters,” said Hathaway via cellphone Friday. “I have to wear a Canada suit, not like I don’t want to but I have to. There’s a lot of excitement coming.”

It’s clear he’s on the national team’s radar, even though he isn’t on the team on a permanent basis. Dedicating himself to the sport full-time the past two years has resulted in improved results – at the Canada Cup event in Fort St. John in December he was third in the 5,000 metre and mass start.

He also won gold and bronze medals at last year’s Canada Winter Games.

But it was a set of time trials in late December that resulted in this opportunity. Olympic champion Ted-Jan Bloemen had the best time in the 3,000-metre trial at 3:41.20, with fellow national team members Jordan Belchos and Graeme Fish close behind. The next two finishers got world cup spots as well. Hathaway was sixth in 3:49.96 even though he was battling a minor illness.

“I fought through it, still had a good time and a personal best,” said Hathaway. “It was pretty good.”

Also of note, ex-Medicine Hat Tiger Gavin Broadhead – who made the switch after the RBC Training Ground series – was eighth, while another Hat native Kaeden Witkowski was 16th at the trials.

Hathaway looks up to fellow distance specialists like Bloemen – the 10,000 metre gold medallist in 2018 in South Korea – but doesn’t usually have the same ice time at the Olympic Oval. Starting Thursday he will.

The hope is to make every second of that unique practice opportunity worth it.

“I’ve watched, I’ve volunteered at world cups before. This is the real thing, I’m on the ice with them, learning how that is,” said Hathaway. “I just want to learn from the Olympians, from the world cup skaters and stuff like that. It’s just a learning experience for me… taking it all in. Next time when I hopefully get to the world cup, I’ve done all of this before.”

He is being realistic about his future too. Hathaway is getting ready to begin courses at the University of Calgary, adding that to his training regimen and a job.

But he’d be lying if he said 2022 in Beijing wasn’t still on his radar.

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