Perseverance has paid off for Kelowna speed skater Nick Goplen.
After years of training in Kelowna and Calgary, Goplen will make his World Cup debut this weekend in Stavanger, Norway.
A member of the Kelowna Speed Skating Club, the 25-year-old Goplen will compete in the 1,500 metre event at the ISU World Cup Long Track Speed Skating meet.
Goplen secured a spot on the Canadian team with a fourth-place finish at the Canadian Single Distance Championships earlier this month at the Olympic Oval in Calgary.
He skated to personal best times in both the 1,500 and 500 metre races.
An unfortunate incident during a lane change resulted in a disqualification for Goplen in the 5000m race.
Goplen was able to put that behind him and skate the fastest times in his career.
He will battle against the best skaters in the world as they all try to gain entry positions in the World Single Distance Championships in Kolomna, Russia from Feb. 12 to 14.
Goplen will be pitting his times against two other Canadian skaters at the World Cup for the remaining Canadian quota position for the World Single Distance Championship.