Canadian Olympic gold medalists Valerie Maltais and Ivanie Blondin each won medals in the women’s mass start event at a World Cup in Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Poland on Sunday. Maltais won the silver medal and Blondin won the bronze medal. Maltais of La Baie, Quebec and Blondin of Ottawa, Ontario teamed up with Isabelle Weidemann of Ottawa to win the gold medal in the women’s team pursuit at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.
In the women’s mass start event on Sunday, Momoka Horikawa of Japan won the gold medal with a time of eight minutes and 58.39 seconds. Maltais won the silver medal with a time of eight minutes, 58.56 seconds. Blondin won the bronze medal with a time of nine minutes, 3.51 seconds.
With the bronze medal in Poland, Blondin becomes the World Cup champion in the women’s mass start speed skating event with 435 points. Marijke Groenewoud of the Netherlands finished in second place with 424 points. Maltais finished in sixth place with 341 points.
For Maltais, it was the first World Cup women’s mass start medal of her career. The 2023 World Speed Skating Championships are in Heerenveen, Netherlands, with the women’s mass start event taking place on March 4. The medals for Maltais and Blondin will give them confidence as they prepare for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan/Cortina d’Ampezzo.
