{"id":69815,"date":"2018-03-23T14:12:16","date_gmt":"2018-03-23T19:12:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=69815"},"modified":"2018-03-23T14:12:16","modified_gmt":"2018-03-23T19:12:16","slug":"glen-ellyns-ethan-cepuran-future-illinois-speed-skating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/glen-ellyns-ethan-cepuran-future-illinois-speed-skating\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Glen Ellyn’s Ethan Cepuran the future of Illinois speed skating?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Chris Kwiecinski<\/strong>
\nMedill Reports<\/em><\/p>\n

Ethan Cepuran was simply trying to make it through the 2018 Junior World Championships with at least one top-20 finish.<\/p>\n

After two days of skating against some of the world\u2019s best up-and-coming speed skaters, the Glen Ellyn native hadn\u2019t finished better than 25th. He even described his performance as poor.<\/p>\n

Then, came the mass-start event.<\/p>\n

Cepuran, who originally didn\u2019t have spot in the mass start \u2013 an event where all competing skaters race at the same time \u2013 won silver in the race to secure that elusive top-20 finish.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was skating, and then I was on the podium,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was all kind of a blur.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Cepuran\u2019s silver rounded out the seventh top-20 finish for Team USA at the junior world championships, and also placed him firmly on the radar for the 2022 Olympics.<\/p>\n

He also might be one of the few Illinois skaters who could extend the state\u2019s 94-year streak of sending at least one speed skater to the Olympics.<\/p>\n

Of the four Chicago-area speed skaters to compete at the 2018 Games, one has announced he would retire, while the others\u2019 futures are up in the air.<\/p>\n

Glenview\u2019s Brian Hansen said he most likely will retire from speed skating after the end of the season, while fellow Glenview native Lana Gehring and Chicago\u2019s Shani Davis\u2019 futures are unknown.<\/p>\n

Oak Park\u2019s Emery Lehman was also unsure of what he would do in his skating future, but said before the Games he would take time off to focus more on his schoolwork at Marquette University.<\/p>\n

Cepuran, who competes in nearly every event in long track, said the next Winter Games in Beijing are a goal for him.<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll even take off a year of school once he graduates from Glenbard West to focus specifically on training.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think over the next four years I can take the step to getting there,\u201d Cepuran said. \u201cI have to keep going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eric Cepuran, Ethan\u2019s brother who coaches him and Lehman, said Ethan\u2019s Olympic dreams aren\u2019t misplaced.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think over the next four years I can take the step to getting there,\u201d Cepuran said. \u201cI have to keep going forward.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cJust given where he\u2019s at in his stage of development as a junior, that\u2019s not farfetched,\u201d Eric said. \u201cAs far as American juniors go, he\u2019s right up there with some of the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ethan said he draws a lot of inspiration from Lehman and Davis, two skaters he studied while improving as a speed skater.<\/p>\n

Like most serious speed skaters, Ethan trains at the Petit National Ice Center in Milwaukee.<\/p>\n

Hansen and Lehman also train at the Petit, allowing Ethan to get training and skating advice from Chicago-area Olympians.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been cool to train with Emery, since I look up to him,\u201d Ethan said. \u201cHe\u2019s certainly had a lot of setbacks and just seeing how he\u2019s come back has been really inspiring.\u201d<\/p>\n

He even had high praise for Davis, whom Ethan said he knew his entire life.<\/p>\n

\u201cShani\u2019s always been my biggest hero in skating.\u201d Ethan said. \u201cI\u2019ll never forget being able to watch him skate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe opportunity he\u2019s had with those guys has been pretty limited,\u201d Eric said. \u201cEvery chance that he has to skate with those guys, he soaks up that experience really well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eric said his brother\u2019s versatility is what gives him a great chance to make the 2022 Olympic team.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Cepuran said he idolizes Oak Park’s Emery Lehman (front) and has enjoyed training in Milwaukee with the two-time Olympian and other top U.S. skaters. (Photo by Chris Kwiecinski\/MEDILL REPORTS)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While Ethan prefers the 5,000-meter race, his prowess in the 1,500-meter, 1,000-meter and mass start is what will make him stand out in the next Olympic cycle.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you start talking about the team events, that versatility is helpful in that conversation,\u201d Eric said.<\/p>\n

However, while Ethan said he wants to improve in every aspect of skating in general, Eric said his brother has to work on being more consistent with his results over the next four years.<\/p>\n

Although Ethan seems to have the best Olympic chances of any current Illinois-area skaters, he said he doesn\u2019t believe he\u2019ll be alone come 2022.<\/p>\n

Austin Kleba, a Campton Hills native, is also on the U.S. Junior Worlds team and recorded a ninth-place finish in the 500 meter.<\/p>\n

Ethan also believes Lehman will be back for a chance at his third Olympics.<\/p>\n

Four years is still a long time away, and Ethan noted many things could change during that time.<\/p>\n

However, Ethan said the speed and competition that comes with speed skating is what keeps him excited about his sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot many people to be good at what they love to do,\u201d Ethan said. \u201cThat\u2019s one thing that keeps me going, because I have potential to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Glen Ellyn native Ethan Cepuran (left) poses with Canada’s David La Rue (center) and Korea’s Kim Min-Seok (right) after winning a silver medal in the mass start. (Photo via U.S. Speedskating Communications Director Matt Whewell)<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Chris Kwiecinski Medill Reports Ethan Cepuran was simply trying to make it through the 2018 Junior World Championships with at least one top-20 finish. After two days of skating against some of the world\u2019s best up-and-coming speed skaters, the Glen Ellyn native hadn\u2019t finished better than 25th. He even described his performance as poor. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":455,"featured_media":69816,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,3987],"tags":[4121,4122,4119,4118,3775,4120,4037],"class_list":["post-69815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","category-winter-2018","tag-2022-olympics","tag-2022-winter-olympics","tag-eric-cepuran","tag-ethan-cepuran","tag-speed-skating","tag-speedskating","tag-u-s-speedskating"],"yoast_head":"\nIs Glen Ellyn's Ethan Cepuran the future of Illinois speed skating? - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/glen-ellyns-ethan-cepuran-future-illinois-speed-skating\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is Glen Ellyn's Ethan Cepuran the future of Illinois speed skating? - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Chris Kwiecinski Medill Reports Ethan Cepuran was simply trying to make it through the 2018 Junior World Championships with at least one top-20 finish. 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