With the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Sochi less than a month away, William Dutton put the finishing touches on his pre-Olympics training by finishing seventh at the World Sprint Speed Skating Championships in Nagano, Japan, his best finish ever at an international event.
Dutton, who spent much of his youth in Humboldt and who still represents the Humboldt Speed Skating Club, was a strong third after the first day of competition, finishing fifth and fourth, respectively, in the 500m and 1000m races.
That momentum didn't carry over to the next day, though, as Dutton finished 11th in the 500m (35.69 seconds) and eighth in the 1000m (1:10.78) for the overall finish of seventh.
"I learned some valuable lessons, the biggest one was that I can compete at a top level and potentially be a medal threat at the Olympics Games, so that made me very happy," Dutton said in a press release from Speed Skating Canada. "The other lesson was if you're in medal contention don't do anything different, just skate the way that got you there. I finished seventh, which is my best finish internationally and to do that right before the Olympic Games makes me pretty confident. I feel like I'm going into the Games strong."
After qualifying at the Olympic trials in Calgary, Dutton will be competing in Sochi at the 500m and 1000m events. He will hit the ice for the first time on Feb. 10 for the 500m races, then two days later for the 1000m. Along with bobsledder Lyndon Rush, Dutton is one of two athletes with Humboldt connections set to compete in Sochi.
