Ivanie Blondin & Isabelle Weidemann Earn Double Podium for Canada at World Cup Speed Skating

General
December 6, 2019

Alex Boisvert-Lacroix also captures elusive medal in the 500m

NUR-SULTAN, KAZAKHSTAN – For the second time this season, Ottawa natives Ivanie Blondin and Isabelle Weidemann stood together on the podium in an ISU World Cup Speed Skating long-distance event, earning the 5000m gold and bronze medals on Friday. Alex Boisvert-Lacroix also skated to a bronze medal in the 500m in Kazakhstan, his first individual podium finish since the 2017-18 season.

Blondin captured her first career gold medal in the ladies’ 5000m with a time of 6:54.945, a new track record for the Alau Ice Palace in Nur-Sultan. Weidemann took bronze behind current world record holder Martina Sáblíková of the Czech Republic. Weidemann and Blondin now sit second and third, respectively, in the long-distance World Cup rankings after three events.

After winning Division B during the last World Cup stop in Poland, Boisvert-Lacroix (Sherbrooke, Que.) capitalized on his return to the main group to win a bronze medal in the men’s 500m with a time of 34.730. The only faster times on Friday were skated by Russians Viktor Mushtakov and Ruslan Murashov. The medal marks Boisvert-Lacroix’s return to world-class form after suffering a herniated disk in his back last year.

Other Results to Note

Laurent Dubreuil (Lévis, Que.) skated in the final pairing of the 500m, crossing the line in a time of 34.879 to finish sixth. He currently sits fourth overall in the World Cup standings for the distance.
Valérie Maltais (Saguenay, Que.) and Béatrice Lamarche (Quebec City, Que.) both finished third in Division B of their races, completing the 5000m in 7:10.670 and the 1000m in 1:17.191, respectively.
The men’s team sprint, having won two bronze medals so far this season, did not finish their race after one of the Canadians fell coming out of a corner in the first lap.

The World Cup in Nur-Sultan continues on Saturday with the ladies' 500m, men's 1000m and men's 10,000m events. Competition will be available via live stream on CBC Sports beginning at 7:00 am ET.

QUOTES

“Honestly, I’m a little bit surprised and still in denial that I won this medal! But it’s a good surprise. I was really patient during the entire race and put the same effort into every lap, and I think that’s what won it today. It was a really close podium finish and it’s really exciting to be on there again with a teammate.”

- Ivanie Blondin

“I am certainly very happy to have stepped on the podium today; it's been too long since I won a medal. After a difficult year last year, I worked extremely hard this summer to relieve my back pain and return to good health, and to see that I am back among the world's elite gives me great comfort and pride."

- Alex Boisvert-Lacroix

“I think these results speak very highly of the team we are training with right now. We have a lot of confidence, a strong training group and a very knowledgeable coach, which are all reflected in today’s medals.”

- Isabelle Weidemann