Speed Skating Canada – CALGARY, ALBERTA – The opening day of competition at the 2018 Canadian Single Distance Championships in Calgary, Alberta saw Olympic silver medalist Ted-Jan Bloemen win the Men’s 5000m title and fellow 2018 Olympian Isabelle Weidemann win the Ladies 3000m.

Bloemen of Calgary, AB came out on top in the Men’s 5000m with a time of 6:21.62, with Jordan Belchos of Toronto, ON finishing in second place and Graeme Fish of Moose Jaw, SK coming in third.

As one of the best long-distance skaters in the world, Bloemen had already pre-qualified for the World Cup in the 5000m distance based on his impressive results from last season. In addition to Olympic silver, he also captured one bronze, two silver and one gold medal on the World Cup circuit during the 2017-18 campaign.

“Today for me was about finding out where I am at,” remarked Bloemen. “Right now, I’m not quite ready to contend for the podium so I won’t be expecting to do that at the first World Cups, but I will be looking to get closer and closer towards the end of the season and show some nice performances. I just want to keep improving.”

Belchos, a veteran of the World Cup circuit, skated a great race in the second last pairing alongside Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu, finishing with a time of 6:21.89. Fish, 21, was matched with Bloemen in the final pair of the day and skated a time of 6:28.46.

Meanwhile Weidemann, a native of Ottawa, ON, cruised to victory in the Ladies 3000m with a time of 4:02.68, just shy of her personal best. Ivanie Blondin, also of Ottawa, ON, finished in second place, while Valérie Maltais of Saguenay, QC rounded out the podium.

Weidemann, who has been competing on the World Cup stage since the 2014-15 season, finished in 7th place in the 3000m distance at the 2018 Olympic Games, matching her career-best result from earlier in the season at World Cup #4 in Salt Lake City, USA.

“There was a lot on the line and that makes me excited and made me want to go for it,” said Weidemann. “I need to continue working on the things that I’ve been working on in practice. I’ve been working on a lot of new things tactically and want to make sure that I can apply those when there is a lot more on the line,” she added when asked about her goals for the World Cup season.

Blondin finished with a time of 4:09.71, quite a bit slower than the times that helped her win two World Cup medals last season, a gold at World Cup #5 in Erfurt, Germany and a bronze to kick off the season at World Cup #1 in Heenrenveen, Netherlands.

Finishing in third with a time of 4:10:42 was Maltais of Saguenay, QC, who was competing in her first ever Canadian long track championship. The three-time Olympian, and one of Canada’s most decorated short track skaters of the past decade, officially made the jump to long track this summer.

The action at the 2018 Canadian Single Distance Championships continues Sunday with four events on the schedule, including the men’s and ladies 500m, the ladies 5000m and the men’s 10,000m.  Athletes will be vying for a spot on the team that will represent Canada at World Cup events and the World Championships for the 2018-19 season.

For more information on the event, including schedules and results, visit www.speedskating.ca/events/canadian-single-distance-championships. The races will be live streamed on the Calgary Olympic Oval’s YouTube channel – www.youtube.com/theolympicoval.

About Speed Skating Canada
Speed Skating Canada (SSC) is the governing body for long track and short track speed skating in Canada. Founded in 1887, SSC is comprised of 13 provincial and territorial associations. Together, we aim to: Challenge and inspire Canada to thrive through the power of speed skating. SSC celebrates the 63 Olympic medals won by Canadian athletes since 1932 and recognizes the coaches, officials, volunteers and other dedicated individuals who helped them on their journey.

Speed Skating Canada would like to thank its sponsors:

Premium Partner: Intact Insurance

Speed Skating Canada – Funding Partners: Government of Canada (Sport Canada), Own The Podium, Canadian Olympic Committee

 

Official On-Ice High Performance Apparel: Li-Ning

Official Suppliers: Auclair, USANA

Official Technical Equipment Supplier: Nagano Skate

Sport Development Partners: Winsport Canada, Calgary’s Olympic Oval, University of Calgary, Institut national du sport du Québec, Government of Quebec, Canadian Sport Institute-Calgary, City of Montreal, Quebec City, Excellence sportive Québec-Lévis

-30-