Gélinas-Beaulieu returns to Mass Start podium at Worlds for first time since 2020; Blondin captures seventh career podium in the distance

CALGARY, ALBERTA – A sold-out crowd at the Olympic Oval in Calgary were treated to a pair of medals in the Mass Start on Saturday, as Ivanie Blondin and Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu both captured silver during the third day of racing at the ISU World Speed Skating Championships.

Blondin (Ottawa, Ont.) earned her seventh World Championship podium in the Mass Start, bringing home silver with a time of 8:23.81. The 33-year-old was narrowly defeated at the finish line by Dutch rival Irene Schouten of the Netherlands, who overcame a fall during the second lap to catch up to pack at the mid way point of the race and claim gold in 8:23.71. Marijke Groenewoud, also of the Netherlands, joined the pair on the podium in bronze medal position (8:24.01).

Meanwhile, fellow Canada Valérie Maltais (La Baie, Que.), the reigning overall World Cup champion, was the victim of a collision with Schouten with only four laps remaining. The eventual gold medalist bumped Maltais while trying to slide back into the peloton, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ice, knocking her out of contention.

Things were equally as exciting in the men’s Mass Start, the final race of the day.

Despite not reaching the podium in the distance all season, Gélinas-Beaulieu (Sherbrooke, Que.) put together a near-perfect race to reach the second step of the podium. The 31-year-old tracked down several attempted breakaways in a race that drastically changed speeds over the course of 16 laps. The Canadians time of 8:40.70 earned him silver, with Mass Start specialist Bart Swings of Belgium winning gold (8:40.67), and Swiss skater Livio Wenger, earning bronze (8:40.77).

It marked the second career World Championships medal in the Mass Start for Gélinas-Beaulieu, who last reached the podium in 2020 when he claimed bronze alongside teammate Jordan Belchos, who won silver.

Blondin and Gélinas-Beaulieu have reached the World Championships podium on three consecutive days in Calgary, in Thursday’s Team Sprint, Friday’s Team Pursuit and today in the Mass Start.

Canada has now earned eight World Championship medals over the past three days, surpassing last year’s total of seven. They are currently one medal shy of tying their record of nine medals, a feat accomplished on three separate occasions, in 2007, 2008 and 2020.

The ISU World Speed Skating Championships in Calgary conclude tomorrow, where titles will be awarded in the men’s 1500m and 10,000m, as well as the women’s 1500m and 5000m. Races will be live streamed on CBC and Radio-Canada digital channels, with television coverage also available on CBC and ICI Télé.

Quotes

“It was pretty chaotic, but at the same time I think it was a pretty exciting race for everyone. There was a lot action going on and I had to close a lot of gaps, which in the end may have taken away a bit of my energy for the final sprint. I was a little bit frustrated with the no-call today when Valérie was taken out by Schouten. If the tables were turned, and they have been many times in the past, I would have been disqualified for something like that. But Irene had a very good race. She fell and came back, and I don’t think the pace of the pack at that point was high enough, which allowed her to close that gap and hang on. And then she beat me in the final sprint. At the same time, I’m very happy to be on the podium.”

Ivanie Blondin

“I’m glad I could put on a show here in Calgary. To be able to share this moment with the crowd is unbelievable. The mass start is a race where there are so many things that can happen, so to succeed in getting onto the podium at the end you have to use all the cards in your deck – endurance, agility and strategy. I think I managed to do that today and demonstrate that I am capable of keeping up with the best in the world, during a culminating moment in our season. I worked hard all year from a strategic point of view. I didn’t always have the best races and I didn’t get on the podium, but I learned a lot.”

Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu

Results

1000m

Laurent Dubreuil: 4th
Connor Howe: 19th
Vincent De Haître: 21st
Maddison Pearman: 16th
Alison Desmarais: 23rd

Mass Start

Ivanie Blondin: 2nd
Valérie Maltais: 16th
Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu: 2nd
Jake Weidemann: 15th