Near misses for Canadian speedskaters at world single distance championships
PYEONGCHANG, Korea, Republic Of — Canadian speedskaters Ivanie Blondin and Ted-Jan Bloemen finished just outside the medals on the opening day of the world single distance championships.
Ottawa’s Blondin was fourth in the women’s 3,000 metres and Calgary’s Bloemen fifth in the men’s 5,000 on Thursday.
The long-track championships at the Gangneung Oval are also a test event for the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Sven Kramer of the Netherlands claimed the eighth 5,000-metre title of his career. He beat countryman and runner-up Jorrit Bergsma by 2.51 seconds in their pairing. Peter Michael of New Zealand was third.