Ottawa’s Ivanie Blondin sprinted to a silver medal in the women’s Mass Start at the ISU World Speed Skating Championships in Heerenveen on Saturday, winning Canada’s sixth medal of the competition.
Backed by a rabid hometown crowd, Dutch skater Marijke Groenewoud broke away from the field during the fifth lap and successfully held on to the lead for the remainder of the race, crossing the finish line nearly a half-lap ahead of her closest competitors to secure the World Championship title.
With Groenewoud so far ahead, the rest of the field skated strategically as they prepared for a final sprint that would determine the two remaining spots on the podium.
When the bell wrang to signal the start of the final lap, Canada’s Blondin sprung out from fifth place and used a inside line to overtake American Mia Kilburg and Italy’s Laura Peveri, before finding another gear to breeze past Dutch rival Irene Schouten in the final straight.
Groenewoud’s final time was 8:19.36, while Blondin and Schouten crossed the finish line in 8:34.19 and 8:34.37, respectively. The win was the second of Groenewoud’s young career, having also won gold in 2021.
For her part, Blondin, their reigning Olympic silver medalist, has reached the World Championship podium six times since the distance was introduced in 2015, winning gold in 2016 and 2020, as well as silver in 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023. She also finished the most recent World Cup campaign ranked first overall after winning one gold, two silver and two bronze medals.
The ISU World Speed Skating Championships conclude on Sunday with the men’s 1500m and 10,000m, as well as the women’s 1500m and 5000m.
