Blondin wins gold in mass start at Calgary World Cup
Canada’s veteran speed skaters showed they’re still among the world’s best throughout this weekend’s ISU Speed Skating World Cup in Calgary.
Top among many Canadian highlights, Ivanie Blondin delivered another dazzling performance to win gold in the women’s mass start on Sunday. Blondin, Isabelle Weidemann, and Valerie Maltais also won silver in a competitive women’s team pursuit event.
Earlier in the weekend, Ted-Jan Bloemen and Maltais earned bronze in the men’s 5000m and women’s 3000m, respectively.
The mass start was Blondin’s race from the get-go, as the 35-year-old Canadian kept things steady before pushing the pace during the final lap. Blondin finished in 8:08.48, fending off Marijke Groenewoud (8:08.51) of Holland and American Mia Manganello (8:08.70), who finished second and third, respectively. Maltais (8:08.73) stalled slightly during the final lap, finishing fourth.
Blondin, Maltais, and Weidemann were paired with the U.S.A. for women’s team pursuit. The trio looked sharp again, hanging tight with the gold medalist Netherlands squad and finishing in 2:52.68. This marked the second straight silver medal in women’s team pursuit after the group finished second in Salt Lake City last weekend.
Bloemen posted the second fastest 5000m time of his career on Friday, setting an Olympic oval track record of 6:02.26 and bringing Canadian fans to their feet. The Canadian’s mark was short-lived, as Norway’s Sander Eitrem broke it by 0.40 seconds two pairs later with a personal best time of 6:01.86 for the silver medal. American Casey Dawson pushed the mark even further during the final pairing, stopping the clock at 6:01.84 to take the record and the gold medal.
“Last week, I kept the spirits high and attacked the race the way I wanted to, but I had already seen in my health data some indicators that I was fighting off something and wasn’t completely fit. I feel 100% again now and it showed in my race,” Bloemen said following his race.
“Last season was difficult for me. I didn’t really have any good performances, so I changed my training a bit in the summer and worked really hard to get back into medal contention. Up until now this season, I didn’t have a race that proved I was back, but I knew it from my training that I was. I just wanted so bad to prove it, and today I did just that, and it was very relieving.”
Maltais continued her strong start to the season with a personal best of 3:56.45 in the 3000m, following her silver in Salt Lake City last weekend. Dutch skater Joy Beune won gold (3:54.42), while Norway’s Ragne Wiklund took silver (3:55.25).
Casey Dawson, centre, of the United States, celebrates his victory with second place finisher Norway’s Sander Eitrem, left, and third place finisher Canada’s Ted-Jan Bloemen on the podium following the men’s 5000-metre competition during ISU World Cup speed skating in Calgary, Alta., Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh 
Canada’s Ted-Jan Bloemen skates during the men’s 5000-metre competition during ISU World Cup speed skating in Calgary, Alta., Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Canada’s Valerie Maltais skates during the women’s 3000-metre competition during ISU World Cup speed skating in Calgary, Alta., Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh 
Joy Beune, centre, of the Netherlands, celebrates her victory with second place finisher Norway’s Ragne Wiklund, left, and third place finisher Canada’s Valerie Maltais on the podium following the women’s 3000-metre competition during ISU World Cup speed skating in Calgary, Alta., Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
“I didn’t even realize it was a personal best until somebody told me! I think that somehow this race feels more like a success and I’m kind of enjoying it more,” said Maltais.
“I wanted to be on the podium again, but my focus was again on my process and how I wanted to race the race. To execute the race that I wanted to, and do have a performance like I did today, makes me proud. I felt that I was really focusing on what I was doing, knowing that I was paired with Isabelle and she was coming on strong at the end. I wanted to make sure I still had energy at the end to be able to fight, which I did.”
Weidemann made an impressive comeback to put herself in the 3,000m podium contention. The 30-year-old was in tenth place midway through the race but picked up the speed to finish the distance in 3:56.66, falling just shy of the podium in fourth place. Joining them in the top ten was Blondin, finishing eighth place with a time of 4:00.42.
Béatrice Lamarche finished sixth place in the women’s 1000m, one week after earning her first career individual podium in Salt Lake City. On Saturday, Blondin placed tenth in the 1500m final, while Laurent Dubreuil finished tenth in the first men’s 500m final.
The next ISU Speed Skating World Cup will take place in Heerenveen, Netherlands, on Dec. 5-7, 2025.
