Blondin Savours Final Home-Ice World Cup Win Before Retirement
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By Heidi Specter
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Summary:
- Ivanie Blondin has won the mass start in Calgary, likely marking her last home World Cup before her official retirement.
- Canada grabbed three more medals, including silver in women’s team pursuit and bronze from Valérie Maltais and Ted-Jan Bloemen.
- The team is currently headed to Europe for the next World Cup stops before the 2026 Olympics.
Ivanie Blondin knew Sunday’s World Cup win in the mass start would mean a lot, but taking it on home ice made the moment even bigger.
The crowd inside Calgary’s Olympic Oval in Alberta lifted as the 35-year-old pushed ahead in the final sprint, grabbing what’s likely her last World Cup victory in Canada before she retires at the end of the season.
“I Really, Really Wanted to Win Today.”
The crowd was insane. It’s most likely my last World Cup here at home, so a little bit emotional, hasn’t really hit yet. Once maybe I have a beer, I’ll probably get a little more emotional.
Ivanie Blondin has spent nearly half her life training in Calgary, racing countless laps in a building that’s shaped both her career and her routine. Her family, friends, and longtime supporters chewed for her in the stands, adding even more pressure. “I really, really wanted to win today”, she said.
With 88 World Cup medals now on her résumé, including 11 mass start golds, she handled Sunday’s hectic 16-lap race with the confidence you’d expect from someone who came up through short track.
The mass start format, with its elbows-out pacing and mid-race sprints, suits her and teammate Valérie Maltais, who also started in short track before switching disciplines.
Maltais finished fourth, just three-hundredths of a second behind American Mia Manganello. Marijke Groenewoud of the Netherlands took second.
“It Feels Really Great to Just Make It Consistent”
Earlier in the day, Blondin teamed up with Maltais and Isabelle Weidemann for silver in the women’s team pursuit. The trio, who won Olympic gold in 2022, has now collected back-to-back World Cup silvers.
However, they did not enjoy a smooth start to the race, as Maltais’ helmet was knocked crooked when Weidemann’s arm swung back off the line. Nonetheless, they managed to settle in and keep it close with the Dutch, who won in 2:52.52. Canada stopped the clock at 2:52.68, with Japan in third.
Weidemann said.
Last weekend, we were really stoked because we didn’t know what we were capable of. This weekend, it feels really great to just make it consistent again.
Canada finished the second World Cup stop of the season with four medals across the three days. Maltais added another bronze in the women’s 3,000, and Calgary’s Ted-Jan Bloemen earned one in the men’s 5,000.
The season now shifts to Europe, with World Cups in Heerenveen and Hamar coming up in December as skaters continue to build toward February’s 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
