Canadian speedskater Blondin captures 3,000-metre gold at World Cup stop in Japan
NAGANO — Canadian speedskater Ivanie Blondin won ISU World Cup gold in the women’s 3,000-metre long track competition Saturday.
The 34-year-old skater from Ottawa led the race from start to finish, posting the fastest split time for each lap to clock four minutes 3.76 seconds at the first event of the World Cup season.
Norway’s Ragne Wiklund and Joy Beune of the Netherlands took silver and bronze with identical times of 4:04.60.
Blondin’s gold marked Canada’s second medal in two days after long-track star Laurent Dubreuil of Lévis, Que., took 500-metre silver Friday at Nagano’s M-Wave.