Speed Skating: Ivanie Blondin captures her first gold of World Cup season in Minsk
Ivanie Blondin captured a gold medal for Team Canada in the mass start final at first long track ISU World Cup of the season in Minsk, Belarus.
In a close sprint in the final straight, Blondin defeated arch rival and world champion Irene Schouten of the Netherlands. Blondin claimed gold in the mass start final with a time of 8 minutes 22.630 seconds. Schouten took home silver with 8:20.710 and Francesca Lollobrigida of Italy won bronze with 8:23.570.
Ivanie Blondin wins the mass start to close the world cup action in Minsk
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— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) November 17, 2019
READ: Speed skating: Canada earns three medals with women’s double podium finish in Minsk
On Friday, Isabelle Weidemann won gold in the 3000m in 4 minutes 4.679 seconds, while fellow teammate Blondin took home the bronze medal with a time of 4:06.080.
Canada’s Ivanie Blondin celebrates on the podium after winning the women’s mass start race of the speed skating World Cup at the Minsk ice arena in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
READ: Short track vs. long track speed skating: What’s the difference?
This wraps up the first ISU World Cup of the season. Canadians will hit the ice again November 21-23 in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland for the second World Cup.
To see Canadian long track speed skaters compete on home soil, the fifth stop of the World Cup is set to take place in Calgary, AB from February 6-7, 2020.