Bloemen wins 5,000m gold, sets track record on home ice at World Cup in Quebec City
Canadian long track speed skater Ted-Jan Bloemen captured gold on home ice with a record-setting performance on Friday in Quebec City.
The two-time Olympic medallist won the men’s 5,000 metres with a track-record time of six minutes 13.87 seconds at the Centre de glaces Intact Assurance. Italy’s Davide Ghiotto placed second in 6:17.18, just 0.38 seconds ahead of Norwegian bronze medallist Hallgeir Engebråten.
Moose Jaw, Sask., native Graeme Fish finished last in 16th place (6:43.41).
The win marks Bloemen’s third medal in the distance in as many weeks following bronze medals at last week’s stop and the Four Continents Championships, both held at the Utah Olympic Oval near Salt Lake City. He holds the national record with a time of 6:01.86.
WATCH l Bloemen captures gold:
Calgary’s Ted-Jan Bloemen skated to a gold medal in the men’s 5,000-metre race, in a time of 6:13.87, on the first day of the ISU World Cup Speed Skating event in Quebec City.
Valérie Maltais of La Baie, Que., also returned to the World Cup podium for the second straight week with another bronze in the women’s 3,000m earlier on Friday.
Maltais edged Ottawa’s Isabelle Weidemann by a mere 0.06 seconds with a time of 4:02.73, finishing behind Dutch skaters Irene Schouten (4:01.11) and Joy Beune (4:02.62).
Fellow Canadian team pursuit teammate Ivanie Blondin of Ottawa was 11th out of the 16 skaters in 4:07.07.
Maltais won gold in the same event at the Four Continents Championships.
WATCH l Maltais earns bronze in home province:
Valérie Maltais of Saguenay, Que., thrilled fans by earning a bronze medal in the women’s 3,000-metre race, on the first day of the ISU World Cup speed skating event in Quebec City.
The final meet of the long track World Cup season runs through Sunday, with live coverage on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem. The competition continues Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Maltais and Blondin will compete in the women’s mass start on Sunday, where they are ranked first and second in the standings, respectively.
The final World Cup stop will be followed by the world championships in Calgary (Feb. 15-18).
WATCH l Replay of Day 1 coverage:
Watch the opening day of the ISU World Cup speed skating event from Quebec City.
