Canadian speedskater Blondin wins gold in women’s mass start at World Cup

HARBIN, China — Canadian speedskater Ivanie Blondin won gold in the women’s mass start event on Sunday at ISU long track World Cup.

Blondin, of Ottawa, finished first by 15 hundredths of a second over Italy’s Francesca Lollobrigida. South Korea’s Bo-Reum Kim was third. Quebec City’s Beatrice Lamarche, skating in her first World Cup, was 19th.

Blondin’s medal was her second of the weekend. She also won bronze in Friday’s 3,000 metres.

“I felt really pumped. I knew I had it in me. I just had to come up with the perfect strategy,” said Blondin. “The last lap, I actually went a little bit earlier that I would normally have, to surprise the others and have a head start on them.

“I didn’t really have a race plan going into it. I was just planning to feel things out. Knowing that I had good speed like I had in the 1,000 metres, I knew I was capable of beating all the other skaters at the line. I just went for it and ended it pretty well.”

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In the men’s mass start, Toronto’s Jordan Belchos was fourth. South Korea’s Seung-Hoon Lee won gold, France’s Alexis Contin earned silver and Italy’s Fabio Francolini followed for bronze. Olivier Jean of Lachenaie, Que., was 14th.

Marsha Hudey of White City, Sask., finished fourth in the second women’s 500 of the weekend with a time of 38.37 seconds.

Japan’s Nao Kodaira (38.04), South Korea’s Sang-Hwa Lee (38.11) and Japan’s Maki Tsuji (38.30) rounded the podium while Winnipeg’s Heather McLean was sixth in 38.39.

In the men’s 500, Laurent Dubreuil of Levis, Que., was the top Canadian with a fifth-place finish in 35.20. The gold medal went to Russia’s Pavel Kulizhnikov (34.98), silver went to China’s Tingyu Gao (34.99) and bronze to South Korea’s Tae-Yun Kim (35.20).

In the men’s 1,500, Vincent de Haitre of Cumberland, Ont., skated to a time of one minute 48.24, good for sixth place. In the B group, Denny Morrison of Fort St. John, B.C., was 10th in 1:50.35.

The Canadian Press