CALGARY, ALBERTA – Four different Olympians – Ivanie Blondin, Connor Howe, Isabelle Weidemann and Ted-Jan Bloemen – stood atop the podium on Friday at the 2023 Canadian Long Track Championships presented by Intact Insurance in Calgary.

The second day of racing opened with the first women’s 1000m event of the weekend. Ivanie Blondin (Ottawa, Ont.) clocked a winning time of 1:15.62, her second medal of the competition after winning bronze in the women’s 3000m yesterday. Maddison Pearman (Ponoka, Alberta) won the silver medal with a time of 1:16.43, while Carolina Hiller (Prince George, BC) ran a personal best of 1:16.68, climbing onto the podium for the second time this week after her. gold medal in the 500m yesterday.

Connor Howe (Canmore, Alberta) was crowned champion in the first men’s 1000m. The 23-year-old, who won silver in the men’s 5,000m yesterday, beat 28 other skaters in the event. Laurent Dubreuil (Lévis, Quebec) continued his medal streak by winning silver with a time of 1:08.08, one day after winning gold in the 500m. Vincent de Haitre (Cumberland, Ont.), a three-time Olympian and two-sport athlete, finished third with a time of 1:08.31.

Isabelle Weidemann (Ottawa, Ont.) took victory in the women’s 5000m, crossing the finish line in 6:56.28. This is the second medal of the competition for Weidemann, who won silver in the women’s 3000m yesterday. Valérie Maltais (Chicoutimi, Quebec), reigning Canadian champion in the women’s 3000m, won the silver medal with a personal best of 6:58.77. Ivanie Blondin (Ottawa, Ont.) added to her medal collection by finishing the race in a time of 7:04.65 to win bronze.

Ted-Jan Bloemen (Calgary, Alberta) won his second consecutive Canadian Championship title at the meet, adding to his 5,000m victory by finishing the men’s 10,000m race in a time of 13:06.95. Graeme Fish (Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan) also won his second medal, taking silver with a time of 13:13.39. And after narrowly missing the podium in yesterday’s 5000m, Jordan Belchos (Markham, Ont.) took bronze in the 10,000m with a time of 13:19.10.

Day three of the 2023 Canadian Long Track Championships presented by Intact Insurance will feature the second heat of the men’s and women’s 500m, as well as the men’s and women’s 1,500m. The races will be broadcast live from 10:00 a.m. MT on the Speed ​​Skating Canada channel. Youtube chain, as well as on Radio-Canada Sports digital platforms.

“I was really happy to get that one over with. I woke up with a slight headache, but I focused on what I needed to do and stayed positive. I went out there and skated as best I could and I was really happy with the result. I want to try to do as much distance as possible this season without getting blown out too much. I’ve proven that I can do it and I continue to perform very well at international level, so I’m looking forward to it.

Ivan Blondin

“I was happy with it today. In the end, it was a good start and two close laps, so I feel good. I want to continue to develop my 1500m and continue to skate well. The goal would be a medal at the World Single Distance Championships.

Connor Howe

“Honestly, I was out there today just to run really consistent times. I really struggled yesterday. It’s not easy right now, and sometimes when we’re really struggling, we try to look for it a lot. I just wanted to let myself skate and that’s what I tried to do today. [I’m looking forward to] run a lot more. I think the team is really fun. There’s a lot of energy – lots of new faces and first World Cups – and that brings a lot of joy back into what we do.

Isabelle Weidemann

“This one was tough. It didn’t feel good but apparently it’s really hard to beat a dad in a 10k! I might still do the Mass Start, but the 5k and 10k were the main events for me. and I’m happy that I was able to win both.

Ted-Jan Bloemen