Blondin, Weidemann, Bloemen, Howe top podium at Canadian long track championships
Action in Calgary continues Saturday, streaming live on CBC Sports' digital platforms
Ivanie Blondin, Connor Howe, Isabelle Weidemann and Ted-Jan Bloemen, all Olympians, won gold on Friday at the Canadian long track speed skating championships in Calgary.
Blondin, from Ottawa, won the women's 1,000-metre event in one minute 15.62 seconds.
Maddison Pearman of Ponoka, Alta., took silver (1:16.43), while Carolina Hiller of Prince George, B.C., raced a personal best time of 1:16.68 for bronze.
"I was really happy to kind of get that one over and done with," Blondin said in a release. "I woke up with a little migraine but just focused on what I needed to do and stayed positive.Ā I went out there and skated the best that I could, and I was really happy with the result.
Howe, from Canmore, Alta., won the men's 1,000 metre.
Laurent Dubreuil of Levis, Que., continued his medal streak by claiming silver in 1:08.08, one day after winning gold in the 500m. Three-time Olympian, and two-sport athlete, Vincent de Haitre of Cumberland, Ont., finished third in 1:08.31.
"I was happy with it today," Howe said.Ā "It ended up being a good start and two close laps, so I'm feeling good. I want to build upon my 1,500m still and keep skating well. The goal would be a medal at World Single Distance Championships."Ā
Congratulations to our 1000m winners š Our wonderful medalists šš<br><br>Women/Femmes<br>š„ Ivanie Blondin<br>š„ Maddison Pearman<br>š„ Carolina Hiller<br><br>Men/Hommes<br>š„ Connor Howe<br>š„ Laurent Dubreuil<br>š„ Vincent De HaĆ®tre<br><br>Bravo aux gagnants du 1000m š Nos merveilleux mĆ©daillĆ©s šš <a href="https://t.co/X8Dr7qJC8l">pic.twitter.com/X8Dr7qJC8l</a>
—@SSC_PVCWeidemann of Ottawa soared to victory in the women's 5,000 metres, crossing the finish line at 6:56.28.
Valerie Maltais of Chicoutimi, Que., earned silver (6:58.77) and Blondin added to her medal collection, finishing in 7:04.65 to claim bronze.
"I was out there today to just skate some really consistent times,"Ā Weidemann said.Ā "I really struggled through yesterday.Ā It's not coming easy right now, and sometimes when we're really struggling, we're trying to search for it a lot.Ā I just wanted to let myself skate and that's what I tried to do today.
Calgary's BloemenĀ won the men's 10,000-metre race with a time of 13:06.95, his second national title of the week after winning theĀ 5,000m on Thursday.
Graeme Fish of Moose Jaw, Sask., earned silver in 13:13.39 and Jordan Belchos of Markham, Ont., secured bronze in 13:19.10.
"I might skate the mass start still, but the 5km and 10km were the main events for meĀ and I'm happy I could win them both," Bloemen said.
Watch live coverage of theĀ Canadian long track championships on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem, with action continuing SaturdayĀ at noonĀ ET.
