Ivanie Blondin skated to her first career gold medal in the 5000m, and a track record, at the Alau Ice Palace in Kazakhstan on Friday. Credit: International Skating Union

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.

“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

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

“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