Casey Dawson picked up right where he left off last season. Coming off the most successful year of his career, Dawson won two races at the U.S. Long Track Championships in Kearns over the weekend. 

Dawson won the 5000m and 10000m races, also finishing third in the 1500m race. The fields included Dawson’s compatriots and some international competitors, with the races also serving as World Cup qualifiers. 

Dawson is looking to surge into the Olympic season. He won a bronze in the team pursuit at the 2022 Games but is now a much stronger skater. Dawson believes he can contend in the individual events in Milan and go for gold in the team pursuit. 

“I kind of surprised myself,” Dawson said about his strong showing. “I didn’t have a ton of expectations.”

Dawson said he and his teammates have been focused on training. They’re looking to hit the ground running in the first World Cup of the season Nov. 14-16 back at the Olympic Oval. 

“Being able to skate that fast is awesome,” Dawson added. “It’s a good way to get the ball moving for the season.”

Dawson will race the 1500m, 5000m and team pursuit at the first cup. There is only one 10000m race on the cup schedule, serving as an Olympic qualifier. In the other events, Dawson can qualify for the Games with wins or at the Olympic Trials in early January in Milwaukee. 

Dawson’s team pursuit teammate Ethan Cepuran finished third in the 5000m and second in the mass start race. Dawson raced the mass start. 

“It’s good that we’re all in a good place,” Dawson said. “We all are feeling stronger this season.”

The team knows that their individual success will only benefit the team. Dawson said they’re poised for a successful season. 

Dawson and the team will be training for the next few weeks before the first cup. They hope to have an advantage being used to the altitude. Dawson said they hope to train on the ice before the event, where they anticipate the ice being quicker than this past weekend. 

“It’ll be fun to be here and see the different skaters,” Dawson said. “Excited to get to the line and see how I stack up against everyone else.”

The U.S. skiers will have added support in Kearns next month. They will hear a roar at the start line, in contrast to the silence they hear at overseas races. 

“It’s going to be fun to have people watch speedskating that probably can’t travel to the to Milan,” Dawson said. “Last time we had a Salt Lake World Cup, I think it there was probably about a couple thousand people there to watch it. I’m hoping for the same turnout.”

Dawson said he’s excited to be racing. He feels as all the offseason work is finally starting to pay dividends. 

“It’s fun to see hard work pay off,” Dawson said. “This past weekend showed that. … Hoping to keep training and working hard up until the Games.”

Tickets for the Salt Lake World Cup are still available on the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation’s website. Friday the 14th will have the men’s 5000m race, Saturday, the 15th the 1500m races and Sunday, the 16th the team pursuit.