Canadian speed skater Ivanie Blondin claimed the bronze medal in the women’s 1,500-meter event at the World Cup, marking her first podium finish in this distance since 2020. Blondin clocked a time of 1 minute 53.43 seconds, coming in behind Dutch skaters Antoinette Rijpma-De Jong (1:53.36) and Joy Beune (1:53.10) who secured gold and silver respectively in Heerenveen.
Expressing her surprise at the achievement, Blondin credited her success to the tight competition and the advantage of having a strong pair to skate with, notably praising her partner Angel Daleman for setting a fast pace during the race. This performance elevated Blondin to sixth place overall in the 1,500 standings, a significant improvement since her last top-three finish in the 2019-20 season.
Reflecting on her win, Blondin shared her astonishment at the outcome given her recent training struggles and lack of confidence. Despite feeling out of form in previous races, she credited her resilience and ability to focus on her performance for the positive result in the 1,500-meter event.
In a parallel event, Dutch-Canadian skater Ted-Jan Bloemen, representing Canada, secured a seventh-place finish in the men’s 10,000-meter race. The competition in Heerenveen is set to conclude on Sunday with the men’s and women’s 500 meters, mass start, and team sprint events.
Viewers can catch the live coverage of the ongoing competition in Heerenveen on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem. The streaming schedule is accessible for those interested in following the remaining events of the World Cup.
