Canadian speed skater Denny Morrison races again in Calgary
Canadian speed skater Denny Morrison is back on the ice, racing at the Olympic Oval in Calgary less than six months after suffering a stroke.
The four time Olympic-medal winner had a rusty start at the long track fall World Cup Friday, finishing 14th in the 500-metre, while Calgary's Gilmore Junio earned the win in 34.51 seconds, the fastest time in the world so far this season.
"I didn't skate the way I wanted to skate," Morrison said. "That's kind of why I'm doing races early in the season, to shake that rust off and get back into it, doing what I do best."
Still, Morrison says he's not losing perspective.
"It's basically a two-year plan and I'm about four to six months now into that plan and I have a year and a half to go to make the Olympics, so I'm trending well, I'm going in the right direction, but there's still a lot more work to be done."
Morrison will continue his quest this weekend for a spot on Canada's national team. He'll be skating in 1,000- and 1,500-metre races, which he predicts will yield better results.
Gilmore said seeing Morrison back on the ice is encouraging.
"It's great seeing Denny back, getting his competition legs in," he said. "He says he has a lot of work to do, but if anyone is going to be willing to put that work in, it's him."
