CALGARY — Canada's sprinters ensured the host team didn't leave Calgary's speedskating World Cup without a medal, while American star Jordan Stolz completed his hat trick at the Olympic Oval on Sunday.
Ottawa's Ivanie Blondin, Carolina Hiller of Prince George, B.C., and Beatrice Lamarche of Quebec City won gold the women's team sprint.
"Very satisfying," said Blondin, who was fourth in the women's mass start less than an hour before the sprint. "It was a tough weekend.
"I was celebrating pretty hard after that one. I was pretty proud of our team and what we were able to do together."
Stolz of West Bend, Wisc., captured men's 500-metre gold to stay unbeaten this season in the 500, 1,000 and 1,500 metres.
The 20-year-old takes confidence from Calgary's World Cup that came after the holiday break into the next one in his home state starting Friday in Milwaukee.
"It kind of takes away the pressure," Stolz said. "Usually, when you come back to racing after a break, there's more pressure. Going into the second weekend is always a bit more calm.
"I'm going to be pretty comfortable in my home track. I'll enjoy the crowd, and I think the ice will be quick, too."
After setting track records in the 1,500 and 1,000 in Calgary, his time Sunday of 33.85 seconds was two-hundredths quicker than Jenning De Boo of the Netherlands, who was also second to Stolz in the 1K.
Blondin, Hiller and Lamarche salvaged the host team's weekend as Canadians were shut out of the medals in individual races in Calgary for the first time in 28 years of World Cup racing there.
Canada's middle- and long-distance skaters coming off a high-altitude training camp in Utah less than a week earlier didn't return with full gas tanks.
Ottawa's Isabelle Weidemann, a 2022 Olympic silver medallist, was fifth in the women's 5k and Graeme Fish of Moose Jaw, Sask., who was a world championship bronze medallist last year, was fifth in the men's 10k.
"Our legs were just not there this weekend," Blondin said. "The focus is always the world championship, and we always try to remind ourselves of that, but sure, would have liked to hit the podium a couple more times this weekend, other than just the one, but very satisfying to do it with the girls.
"At the end of the day, we're aiming for worlds and all the training that we do previous to that is aiming for worlds, so sometimes it affects the World Cup races and the lead-up to it. I'm not too worried at this point."
The world championship is March 13-16 in Hamar, Norway.
Canada's team won 10 medals, including a pair of team sprint gold, at the 2024 world championship in Calgary.
"We're close in a few events. It can turn around pretty quick," said Laurent Dubreuil of Levis, Que., who was fifth in the men's 500. "It's like a reminder to enjoy every single medal, because they're very, very hard fought."
The 2021 world champion in the 500 metres and silver medallist behind Stolz the past two years felt rusty Sunday in his first go at the distance since November because of a groin injury.
Dubreuil, 32, was just under three-tenths of a second back of Stolz and less than a tenth off the podium.
"I still believe I can win," the Canadian said. "The last two years, I was second behind Jordan at the world championships.
"I hope I get to beat him a couple of times (before) the end of my career and what better moment than the world championship this year or the Olympics next year."
While team pursuit is an Olympic event, team sprint is not.
Three skaters from each country start the three-lap sprint and go head to head against three skaters from another country on the track. One skater drops out after each of the first two laps leaving one middle-distance specialist striving for the finish line.
Dubreuil, Antoine Gelinas-Beaulieu and Anderson Johnson set a world record en route to world championship gold in 2024. Dubreuil, Johnson and Connor Howe of Canmore, Alta., were fourth Sunday.
Femke Kok of the Netherlands was the women's 500-metre winner. Timothy Loubineaud of France was first in the men's mass start and American Greta Myers prevailed in the women's event.
Blondin, the 2022 Olympic silver medallist in the mass start, found herself chasing a breakaway pack alone late in the 16-lap race of cat-and-mouse tactics.
"There was a breakaway that happened and no one wanted to work it," she explained. "I kind of just tried to save myself the entire race and hope that the pack would get it going before we did, and it didn't happen. I started to sprint early and kind of went solo."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 26, 2025.
Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press
