Blondin and Zhao win Canada’s first-ever mixed relay medal at the World Cup in Nagano
Canadian long track speed skaters add one silver and one bronze to the final medal tally at the opening event of the ISU World Cup Speed Skating Season.
Ivanie Blondin was back in the spotlight on Sunday in Nagano, Japan, helping Canada reach a total of four medals for the weekend.
Blondin clinched a silver medal in the women’s mass start, strategically staying with the front pack of skaters and saving her energy for the final sprint. She stopped the clock in 8:36.71, narrowly edging out the Netherlands’ Elisa Dul, who finished 8:37.36. Dutch rival Marijke Groenewoud took the gold medal with a time of 8:36.64.
Just a couple of races later, the 34-year-old returned to the ice for the mixed relay, pouring every ounce of energy into this final event. Blondin teamed up with 20-year old Yankun Zhao to secure the bronze medal. This marked Blondin’s third medal of the weekend, and Zhao’s first-ever World Cup podium finish.
“I knew it was possible to win a full set of medals this weekend. Both Yankun [Zhao] and I have short track backgrounds, so we are adaptable to missed exchanges and anything else thrown our way. It’s cool to see that the slingshot [in long track] worked just as well as the push in short track that we are used to. It is so special to share Yankun’s first World Cup podium with him!” Blondin said after the race.
Remarkably, it also marked Canada’s inaugural medal in the mixed gender relay, a new discipline introduced to the World Cup circuit last season.
“This first World Cup podium is pretty special, especially this early in my career.” Zhao said Sunday. “I think the Mixed Relay is a very fun distance. It’s so exciting to be working alongside a teammate for the entire race, so it brings back a bit of feeling from my short track days.”
The excitement continues as the ISU World Cup Speed Skating circuit heads to Beijing next weekend.
Blondin wins gold, Dubreuil claims silver to start World Cup
Ivanie Blondin claimed a gold medal in the women’s 3000m event Saturday.
On Friday, sprint star Laurent Dubreuil kicked things off for Canada with a silver medal in the 500m.
Blondin led her race from start to finish, posting the fastest split time for each lap en route to a final time of 4:03.76. The 34-year-old skated in the third pair and waited to claim her medal, finishing 0.84 seconds ahead of Norway’s Ragne Wiklund.
It’s been a busy weekend for the versatile Blondin, who cracked the top 10 in the women’s 1000m just a few hours after her gold-medal performance in the 3,000m. On Friday, she placed fifth in the 1500m with a time of 1:55.65, just 0.07 of a second out of a podium position.
“I am trying new things and having a lot of fun during training, and I think that being more relaxed is paying off on the ice,” said Blondin.
Dubreuil, who finished second overall in last season’s 500m World Cup standings and won silver in the event at the World Single Distances Championships, skated to a time of 34.58 seconds at the first of six World Cup stops for the season.
In the second last pairing, Dubreuil had his eyes on the leading time of 34.43 seconds that had been posted by reigning world champion Jordan Stolz of the United States, but finished 0.15 of a second back. The Canadian just edged out Japan’s Tatsuya Shinhama for the second spot on the podium by three one-thousandths (0.003) of a second.
“I am really happy with my race today, ” Dubreuil said Friday. “It wasn’t a perfect race by any means, but I’d say that it was quite good. The start was a bit slower than last week, but this was my first time skating a lap under 25 seconds at sea level this year. I know there is a tenth or two to be gained out there, so hopefully I can find that speed for the next 500m this Sunday.”
Dubreuil opened his international season last weekend with a silver medal in the 500m at the ISU Four Continents Championships, sandwiched between the same two competitors.
Competition continues throughout the weekend. Sunday will feature the team pursuits, the mass starts, and a second set of 500m races.
