Blondin brings home gold in Mass Start, Dubreuil wins silver in 1000m
STAVANGER, NORWAY – Ivanie Blondin and Laurent Dubreuil both earned medals on the final day of ISU World Cup action in Stavanger, bringing home gold and silver, respectively.
Blondin won gold in the first women’s Mass Start race of the World Cup season, powering past Dutch skaters Marijke Groenewoud (8:58.80) and Irene Schouten (8:59.05) in the final sprint to cross the finish line in 8:58.72.
The victory marked a return to the international podium for the Ottawa native, who medalled seven times in the Mass Start last season, most notably winning Olympic silver at Beijing 2022.
Meanwhile, Dubreuil captured a silver medal for the second consecutive day, following up yesterday’s 500m podium with another in the 1000m. It was his first World Cup medal in the distance since January 2021, when he won bronze in Heerenveen.
The 30-year-old had the fastest opener and first lap of the field, posting a final time of 1:09.22. American Jordan Stolz crossed the line in 1:08.73 just two pairs later, putting him in first place. Japan’s Ryota Kojima (1:09.31) rounded out the podium in bronze medal position.
The ISU World Cup campaign continues next weekend with a stop in Heerenveen, Netherlands. The action will be live streamed by CBC Sports and Radio-Canada Sports.
Quotes
I’m very happy with my race today. It was a busy day, with the 1000m after the Mass Start semi-finals, and I wasn’t sure I would have the legs to push through the final. But I positioned myself well throughout the race and used some of my techniques to execute an inside pass on the Dutch skaters in the final corner. I trained a lot with the men this summer and I think I gained some advantages from their speed that played out in today’s race. This is a great start to the season!
Ivanie Blondin
It was really a nice race today. Unlike yesterday, where I was very close to gold and could have won if I skated a better race, today silver was the best I could do. [Jordan] Stolz was in another category and I did the job I set out to do, especially with slower ice that has less glide and doesn’t give me any advantages in the 1000m. I worked very hard over the past few months to improve my final lap and give myself the chance to win international medals in the 1000m. All of that work is in the process of paying off and it’s so satisfying to see when those efforts are rewarded.
Laurent Dubreuil
Results
Women’s 1000m
- Ivanie Blondin – 12th
- Alexa Scott – 16th
- Brooklyn McDougall – 5th (B Division)
- Béatrice Lamarche – 6th (B Division)
Men’s 1000m
- Laurent Dubreuil – 2nd
- Connor Howe – 12th
- Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu – 13th
- Tyson Langelaar – 19th
- Christopher Fiola – 26th (B Division)
Men’s Mass Start
- Hayden Mayeur – 11th
- Connor Howe – 9th in semi-final
Women’s Mass Start
- Ivanie Blondin – 1st
- Valérie Maltais – 7th