BEIJING –
Ivanie Blondin’s speed, patience and tenacity made her a double Olympic medallist Saturday in Beijing.
She took silver in speedskating’s combative mass start just four days after winning pursuit gold with teammates Isabelle Weidemann and Valerie Maltais.
Sixteen women raced head-to-head for 16 laps in Beijing’s National speedskating Oval. Blondin was a stride ahead of Irene Schouten on the final turn.
The Dutch star caught the Canadian down the stretch to edge Blondin by a skate boot. Gina Lollobrigida of Italy took bronze in the mad dash to the finish line.
“One and a half (laps) to go there was a lot of jostling for position,” Blondin said. “I actually got my hips grabbed and pulled back, but I fought for my position and stayed there. I don’t know if it took a little out of my legs.
“Schouten had an incredible race and an incredible last lap. I did think I had her for sure. When I passed her on the inside on the backstretch I was like ‘this is game over. This is mine.’
“She brought it back and I think maybe I went a little bit too early. I’m just really happy to share the podium with these two women. We’ve had a lot of great races over the last eight years. The three of us have shared the podium so many times.”
Schouten claimed her third gold medal in Beijing after wins in both the 5,000 metres and 3,000 metres. Weidemann finished second to her in the 5k and took bronze in the 3k.
The tactical cat-and-mouse mass start made its Olympic debut in 2018. Blondin, a two-time world champion in the event, was a medal favourite in Pyeongchang, South Korea, but crashed out in the semifinal.
Body contact when the women bunch sent a few flying into the protective padding Saturday, including defending champion Nana Takagi in the semifinal.
Takagi also fell in the final of the women’s team pursuit when Japan raced Canada in the final.
Blondin held her ground when the elbows came up. The 31-year-old from Ottawa credits her years in short track before switching to long-track for her ability to handle the bumping and jockeying for position in mass start.
“I’m very comfortable in a pack,” Blondin said. “I’m kind of like a fighter in a way. When girls kind of grab me and push me, it just fires me up. I don’t shy away from these situations. I push back. I fight my way through the race.”
Points are scored via three intermediate sprints and order of finish, with the highest points awarded to who crosses the finish line in first, second and third.
Maltais of La Baie, Que., won two of the sprints, which helped her finish sixth.
Canada’s long-track team earned five medals in Beijing — a gold, three silver and one bronze.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2022.
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