Ivanie Blondin (CAN) gave the crowd value for money on the final day of her final ISU World Cup in Calgary. The 35-year-old Canadian pushed teammates Isabelle Weidemann and Valérie Maltais to a silver medal in the Team Pursuit, and won gold after a powerful sprint in the Mass Start.  

Femke Kok (NED) led an unprecedented one-to-five Dutch sweep in the 500m, with Angel Daleman (NED) breaking the Junior World Record in fifth place.

Emotional Mass Start gold for Blondin

When Blondin finally got off the ice on Sunday — after skating five distances on the weekend, including three on the final day — she had two words: “Pretty incredible.”

Part of the reason was the fans.

“The crowd was insane,” Blondin said. “My parents were here. I had my sponsor, here as well. It’s most likely my last World Cup here, so I’m a little bit emotional. It hasn’t really hit yet. Maybe once I have a beer, I’ll probably get a little bit more emotional.”

Ivanie Blondin (CAN) gave the home crowd reason to cheer Sunday, taking Mass Start gold at the ISU World Cup in Calgary (CAN). © ISU

The Mass Start was Blondin’s highlight on Sunday. After a fast race, she managed to perfectly manoeuvre into position for the final sprint, and none of the other skaters were able to keep up with her on the straight. Marijke Groenewoud (NED) finished second and last week’s winner, Mia Manganello Kilburg (USA), took third.

“It's great,” said Blondin, who plans to retire at the end of the season. “It’s what I wanted after last week. It was a weird finish to the Mass Start. My goal was to keep it together, not to let any breaks happen, because my forte is obviously the final sprint. I found a hole in the last lap, went for it on the inside. Glad I held that corner, because I entered it really tight to not impede on Val (teammate Valérie Maltais), because she was obviously in the race lane. I had a little bit of a stumble, but I was able to hold.” 

Groenewoud was happy to take silver. She had struggled in her individual races after flying in late to Salt Lake City last week, and finally found a bit of rhythm during the Calgary World Cup.

“It ends better than it started,” said Groenewoud, who finished 14th in the 3000m on Friday and second in the 1500m B Division on Saturday. “My 3000m was not good, yesterday I sort of got it back, and today it was fine.”

Mass Start medalists Marijke Groenewoud (NED), Ivanie Blondin (CAN) and Mia Manganello Kilburg (USA) at the ISU World Cup in Calgary. © ISU

The sprint could even have gone better, she acknowledged. 

“I had myself locked in a bit by the Chinese in front of me (Hou Jundan). I wanted to go on the inside and she thought the same. Therefore, I went into the final corner a bit too sharp, and I hit the ice with my boot, which made me swerve outside. Blondin took the shortest route and then you’re at the line quicker.”

Kilburg retained first place in the World Cup standings, and she was over the moon with her second podium finish this season.

“That means I got it locked in,” she said. “For US speed skating, it’s two podium finishes in the first four World Cups to qualify for the Olympic Games, so I’m going to Milan.”

Dutch train back on track

In the Mass Start, Groenewoud pushed the Orange train back on track after Elisa Dul (NED) lost connection in last week’s World Cup, when the Dutch finished fifth.

With Joy Beune leading, Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong in the middle position and Groenewoud at the back, the Netherlands got back to their successful World Championships lineup. Skating as a unit, they stopped the clock at two minutes and 52.52 seconds.

Joy Beune, Antoinette Rijpma-De Jong and Marijke Groenewoud (NED) raced to Team Pursuit gold on Sunday in Calgary. © ISU

Although the Salt Lake City result put an Olympic Team Pursuit slot for the Dutch in jeopardy, Beune didn’t feel any extra pressure in Calgary.

“I was actually quite relaxed. We quickly forgot last week and we had a new goal for this week.”

Rijpma-De Jong added: “We were a good train today and we showed what we are really capable of.”

Although the Olympic ticket is almost secure after the Calgary race, Rijpma-De Jong said the Dutchwomen still have a fight on their hands on the road to Milan.

“I hope we’ll be able to start with the three of us at the Olympics. We all have to qualify individually, so we still have to perform at the (Dutch) Olympic trials (in December).” 

Canada’s Isabelle Weidemann, Ivanie Blondin and Valérie Maltais finished second, just .16 seconds behind. Like Blondin, Weidemann enjoyed skating in front of a home crowd.

Isabelle Weidemann, Valérie Maltais and Ivanie Blondin (CAN) finished .16 seconds back of the Netherlands in second place on Sunday. © ISU

“This is the venue that we all grew up training in, so we know it quite well. We’re sleeping in our own beds, which is so amazing. And everybody’s got family here supporting them, and so it’s just really special to skate at the Olympic Oval. There’s so much legacy here, and we want to help keep pushing that forward.”

Last week’s winners, Miho Takagi, Ayano Sato and Hana Noake of Japan, finished in 2:53.08 to take bronze in Calgary, but stayed on top of the World Cup ranking. Canada is now second in the rankings, with defending champions the Netherlands third. 

Miho Takagi, Ayano Sato and Hana Noake (JPN) took Team Pursuit bronze on Sunday after winning the first race of the season last weekend. © ISU

Five-star 500m for the Netherlands

To see Femke Kok (NED) win the 500m has almost become routine, and the World-Record holder took her sixth consecutive World Cup gold in the shortest distance on Sunday. 

Not so usual, however, was the fact that the top-five spots in the 500m went to Dutch skaters. Jutta Leerdam took silver, while Marrit Fledderus secured her second World Cup podium and her first in the 500m in third place. Anna Boersma was fourth and Angel Daleman fifth in a Junior World Record of 37.28 seconds.

Angel Daleman (NED) finished fifth in the 500m at the ISU World Cup in Calgary on Sunday, but set a Junior World Record in the process. © ISU

“I already got close last week,” Daleman said. “I hadn’t thought about (the record) beforehand, but I hoped that it would fall in place. It would have been great to do it in Thialf (the lowland rink in Heerenveen, Netherlands), but here it’s a better chance (at altitude).”

Kok skated .56 seconds faster than Daleman — and was the only women to skate under 37 seconds again — yet she said it wasn’t a good race.

“Today was the worst day of all days (at the first two World Cups). My opener was OK, but my lap was just not good. So much has happened since last week (after taking the World Record in Salt Lake City), I just felt a bit less snappy. I’m happy it’s done, and I won, so I can’t complain.”

Femke Kok (NED) powers to a sixth-straight ISU World Cup 500m gold medal in Calgary on Sunday. © ISU

Leerdam skated a personal best 37.01 seconds in second place. She was happy to be back on the podium after Friday’s fourth-place finish in the 1000m and Saturday’s fifth-place finish in the first 500m.

“A personal best, I’m happy,” she said. “This was so much better than the past couple of days. I was ill (between the Salt Lake City and Calgary World Cups), and now I’ve got my energy back. On Friday, my start was OK, but the final lap kicked in and Saturday was a bit better already. And today I really got up to speed in that 500m.”

Jutta Leerdam (NED) finished second in the 500m in a personal best time of 37.01 seconds Sunday at the ISU World Cup. © ISU

Fledderus also skated a PB, with 37.08 seconds in third place. After her career-first World Cup podium in the 1000m on Friday, she took her first 500m World Cup podium on Sunday. 

“It’s great, a personal best, unfortunately I didn’t skate under 37 seconds, but I’m still really happy.”

Marrit Fledderus (NED) beat Lee Na-Hyun (KOR) in her 500m pairing en route to a third-place finish Sunday at the ISU World Cup. © ISU

With five Dutch women on top of a World Cup race, the fight for three Dutch Olympic tickets in the distance is going to be brutal at the trials in December. Fledderus didn’t want to let it get to her nerves.

“It’s bizarre, but I’m just going to stay calm. To get stressed about it is not going to help. I’ll do my thing, and if that’s enough, I’d be really happy.”