Moose Jaw’s Fish a rising star in the speed skating world

When he was a young speed skater in Moose Jaw, Graeme Fish used to practise by doing laps every Saturday.

A week ago Friday, practice made perfect.

On Feb. 14, the 22-year-old Fish set a world record while winning gold in the 10,000 metres at the world single distances speed skating championships in Salt Lake City.

His time of 12 minutes 33.868 seconds broke the previous world record of 12:36.30 set in 2015 by Canada’s Ted-Jan Bloemen.

“With 10 laps to go, my coach knew what time I was around and he started yelling at me, ‘World record! World record!’ ” Fish told The Green Zone from his adopted hometown of Calgary. “So I kind of knew when I was finishing that it was going to be a world record.

“But it was pretty cool (to set the mark). I couldn’t believe it. My family was there (and) they were freaking out too. It was awesome.”

Fish started speed skating when he was five years old, taking to the short tracks in Moose Jaw.

He was inspired during his career by the accomplishments of skaters like Catriona Le May Doan and Jeremy Wotherspoon, both of whom are originally from Saskatchewan.

When Fish was in Grade 12, he won a silver medal in the 5,000m at the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George, B.C. That helped him realize he may have a future in the sport, as did his showing at the 2017 world junior championships.

“When I got a bronze medal in the 5K and then a bronze medal in mass start (at world juniors), I kind of knew that I had something else in me, that I probably could do something in this sport — and here I am, a world record-holder,” he said.

But Fish is well aware of the old adage that records are made to be broken. That’s why he takes more pride in the gold medal he won in Utah than the world record.

“Anyone in the past few years who has skated well could have done that time,” Fish said. “It was just my time (to skate that fast). The gold medal, no one can take away from me.

“The world record will probably get beat eventually, but the gold medal is mine forever.”

Fish, who also won a bronze medal in the 5,000m in Salt Lake City, is enjoying a breakthrough season. In December, he won the first individual medal of his career with Canada’s national team, picking up a bronze in the 10,000m at the ISU Speed Skating World Cup in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.

“I would say I’m more confident in myself to actually go out and skate well,” Fish said when asked what has clicked this season. “The supporting team — my coaches, my teammates and everything — has definitely helped for sure, but I think I’m technically better.

“It has just worked out.”

Fish has learned a lot from Bloemen (who’s 33 years old) and Jordan Belchos (who’s 30), both of whom have shared technical tips with their younger teammate and pushed him to better performances.

Bloemen in particular has been an inspiration for Fish.

“Without him, I wouldn’t be where I am now just because he gave Canada a reputation to be better at distances,” Fish said. “It’s going well for sure.”

And it could get even better.

One of Fish’s goals is to skate in the Winter Olympics at some point in his career. The next Games are in Beijing, China in 2022 — and they could represent a major step on Fish’s journey as a speed skater.

“It’s pretty cool that I’m so young and I still have a long way to go,” he said. “I don’t really focus on that per se. I only focus on the next race and if I can do well in that one, then I’ll think about the next one.

“The Olympics are two years away. I don’t really need to start thinking about it yet.”

Instead, he’ll focus on honing his craft.

“(I just have to) keep doing what I’m doing (and) keep skating,” Fish said. “I know there’s a lot of skaters who are really good who could do as well as I did (in Salt Lake City). Last weekend was just my day.”