Blondin, Belchos repeat as national champions in single-distance speed skating
CALGARY — Ivanie Blondin and Jordan Belchos were crowned 2017 Canadian national champions in the women’s 3,000 metres and the men’s 5,000 metres, respectively, on Tuesday, the first day of the Canadian single-distance speed-skating championships.
Ottawa’s Blondin reclaimed her national title in the 3,000 metres by coming up with the win thanks to a time of four minutes 5.01 seconds. Blondin was already pre-qualified in this distance for this year’s world single distance championships, which will take place Feb. 9-12 on the official ice of the 2018 Olympics in South Korea.
“I had a hard time today finding motivation because I’ve pre-qualified for the world championships, and I did not necessarily have any pressure on my shoulders,” said Blondin. “Usually, the more pressure I have, the better I skate. This time, I had a harder time finding the fire within me. It’s good to have these different scenarios in races where I can really get to know myself better.”
Brianne Tutt of Airdrie, Alta., and Isabelle Weidemann of Ottawa, who won this event last year, shared second place in Tuesday’s race after both skating to a time of 4:11.387.