Team sprint gold highlights huge day for Canada at long track World Cup
After failing to find the podium on Saturday despite six top-10 finishes, Canada turned impressive performances into medals on Sunday at the long track World Cup in Stavanger, Norway.
Canada took home a medal in all four events, capturing a gold, two silvers and a bronze.
The gold came in the men's team sprint, which Canada also won last week in the Netherlands.
Canada's Ivanie Blondin took home a silver in the women's 5,000-metre, and Ted-Jan Bloemen grabbed a silver of his own in the men's 10,000.
To round out the big day, the women's team sprint won bronze.
Team sprint's repeat medals
The men's trio of Gilmore Junio (Calgary), Alex Boisvert-Lacroix (Sherbrooke, Que.), and Vincent De Haitre (Cumberland, Ont.) gave Canada their second-consecutive gold medal in the event, finishing in one minute, 19.52 seconds, 0.32 seconds ahead of Norway.
The U.S.A. rounded out the podium in third.
The women's team also repeated last week's podium finish, taking home a bronze thanks to Marsha Hudey (White City, Sask.), Kali Christ (Regina) and Kaylin Irvine (Calgary).
Blondin, Bloemen snag silver
Blondin clocked in just shy of the gold-medal position in the 5,000 at 6:57.34, just 0.74 back of first-place German Claudia Pechstein.
Neither Blondin nor Pechstein were challenged for the top two spots, with the Czech Republic's Martina Sablikova 3.35 seconds behind the leader.
Canada's Isabelle Weidemann placed fourth.
The story was much of the same with Bloemen, as he was the only one coming close to challenging for the top of the podium.
"When I skate to the best of my abilities, I have the best chance to win. I just try to skate as fast as I can every time out there and then we'll see where that gets me." said Bloemen. "If I'm able to skate my best race at the Olympics, I certainly could win a gold medal."
He finished 1.67 seconds back of Sven Kramer of the Netherlands. Bronze was awarded to the Netherlands' Erik-Jan Kooiman who was 6.16 seconds back of Kramer.
Canadian Jordan Belchos was 10th.
