A young Richmond speed skater recently claimed a top spot at the Western Elite Circuit in Calgary.
High performance short track speed skater Roanan Tien-Vidal, 15, finished first in Division 2, and was the only skater to win all of his races in the two-day competition.
During the competition, Tien-Vidal set three personal best times at multiple distances, including 500 metres (45.43 seconds), 1,000 metres (1:38.68) and 1,500 metres (2:26:57).
He also met the one-minute, 35 second time standard set by Speed Skating Canada for the Canada Cup – a junior national competition that brings together the top 60 male and female junior (19 and under) athletes from across Canada – clocking in at 1:34:28.
The Western Elite Circuit was Tien-Vidal’s first significant competition since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“He showed great composure and confidence skating against competitors with years more experience. Successfully competing at this level will equip him for higher level events in his future,” said Mark Vidal, a director for the Richmond Rocket, a local speed skating club, and Tien-Vidal’s father.
Tien-Vidal will next compete with his team in Calgary in January, with the goal of further reducing his times. He is also aiming to compete in the Canada Cup in Quebec in February.
Tien-Vidal skates in the High Performance Program at the Richmond Oval, under the guidance of provincial coach Nicole Garrido.
