Canadian speed skater Ivanie Blondin celebrated a memorable victory at the World Cup mass start event in Calgary, marking her final win on Canadian ice as she plans to retire after this season. The 35-year-old athlete received a tremendous reception from the crowd at Calgary’s Olympic Oval as she powered into the lead during the exciting final stretch of the long-track race.
Expressing her emotions, Blondin shared, “The crowd was insane. It’s most likely my last World Cup here at home, so a little bit emotional, hasn’t really hit yet. Once maybe I have a beer, I’ll probably get a little more emotional.” With a silver medal in the Olympic mass start event in 2022, she has a strong connection to the Oval, where she has trained for almost half of her life and competed in numerous World Cups and world championships.
Blondin’s family, sponsors, and friends were present to support her, and she expressed her strong desire to secure the victory. Throughout her career, she has amassed an impressive total of 88 World Cup medals, including 11 gold medals in the mass start discipline. The mass start race, consisting of 16 laps with strategic passing and body contact akin to short track, saw both Blondin and her Canadian teammate Valérie Maltais, who finished fourth, showcasing their backgrounds in short track before transitioning to long track speed skating.
The podium for the women’s mass start event included Marijke Groenewoud of the Netherlands in second place and Mia Manganello of the United States narrowly edging out Maltais for third place by a mere three-hundredths of a second. The Canadian team’s success continued with a silver medal in the women’s team pursuit event earlier in the day, where they finished behind the Netherlands.
As the team prepares for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina, Italy, their strong performance at the World Cup in Calgary, where they collected four medals, highlights their potential for success on the international stage. Valérie Maltais, in particular, has been a standout performer with five medals in the first two World Cup events of the season, demonstrating her consistency and competitive spirit. The Canadian team will now shift their focus to the upcoming World Cup events in Europe before the Olympic Games.
In the men’s events, American skater Jordan Stolz continued his dominance with a victory in the 500m race, adding to his earlier wins in the 1,000m and 1,500m races. The Dutch team showcased their strength in the women’s 500m event, with Femke Kok claiming her second gold medal in as many days. Additionally, the United States secured victory in the men’s team pursuit event, further underlining the competitive nature of the World Cup competitions.
The Canadian team’s impressive performances and the thrilling races in Calgary set the stage for an exciting season ahead as they aim to build on their success and make their mark on the global speed skating stage.
