Vernon’s Connie Kapak marked her 14th birthday by winning a bronze medal in the 3,000-metre race Saturday at the Canadian Long Track Speed Skating Championships in Winnipeg.
There were 15 entrants in the 13-year-old female division at the Cindy Klassen Leisure Centre.
Kapak – now ranked fourth in Canada –moved up from a No. 5 ranking at the end of last year.
She placed fourth in the 500-metre Sunday at the outside oval, while qualifying second in the 300 (Team B.C. ended up fourth).
Just .43 seconds separated the silver medalist and the fifth-place skater in the 100, and .58 seconds was the gap between the first and fourth skater in the 300 distance.
Her results were stellar, considering the top three, two Quebec, one Winnipeg, are from locations which have long track training facilities.
Upcoming short track events for Kapak include the Calgary Winterfest later this month, followed by the B.C. Championships and Western Canadians in March.
