Canadian speed skater Ivanie Blondin clinched a bronze medal at the World Cup in the women’s 1,500-meter event on Saturday, marking her first podium finish in this distance since 2020. Competing alongside Angel Daleman, Blondin completed the race in 1 minute 53.43 seconds, securing third place behind Antoinette Rijpma-De Jong (1:53.36) and Joy Beune (1:53.10) from the Netherlands, who claimed gold and silver in front of their home crowd in Heerenveen.
Expressing her surprise and happiness at the result, Blondin mentioned the tight competition and the advantage of having a strong pair to skate with. She highlighted the importance of a good start and credited Daleman for pushing her throughout the race until she managed to overtake her in the final laps.
Blondin, known for her achievements at the 2022 Beijing Olympics where she won gold in team pursuit and silver in mass start, improved her standing to sixth place overall in the 1,500-meter rankings. The 35-year-old athlete from Ottawa had not been in the top three in the 1,500-meter event since the 2019-20 season.
Reflecting on her performance, Blondin expressed surprise at her success but attributed it to her training leading up to the event. Despite struggling on fast ice, she credited her determination and focus for the positive outcome and acknowledged the role of her recent training in boosting her confidence.
In other events, Canadian-Dutch skater Ted-Jan Bloemen finished in seventh place in the men’s 10,000 meters. The competition in Heerenveen will conclude on Sunday with the men’s and women’s 500 meters, mass start, and team sprint events. Live coverage of the event can be watched on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem.
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