Earlier in the weekend, Ted-Jan Bloemen<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Maltais<\/a>\u00a0earned bronze in the men\u2019s 5000m and women\u2019s 3000m, respectively.<\/p>\n The mass start was Blondin\u2019s race from the get-go, as the 35-year-old Canadian kept things steady before pushing the pace during the final lap. Blondin finished in 8:08.48, fending off Marijke Groenewoud (8:08.51) of Holland and American Mia Manganello (8:08.70), who finished second and third, respectively. Maltais (8:08.73) stalled slightly during the final lap, finishing fourth.<\/p>\n Blondin, Maltais, and Weidemann were paired with the U.S.A. for women\u2019s team pursuit. The trio looked sharp again, hanging tight with the gold medalist Netherlands squad and finishing in 2:52.68. This marked the second straight silver medal in women\u2019s team pursuit after the group finished second in Salt Lake City last weekend.<\/p>\n Bloemen posted the second fastest 5000m time of his career on Friday, setting an Olympic oval track record of 6:02.26 and bringing Canadian fans to their feet. The Canadian\u2019s mark was short-lived, as Norway\u2019s Sander Eitrem broke it by 0.40 seconds two pairs later with a personal best time of 6:01.86 for the silver medal. American Casey Dawson pushed the mark even further during the final pairing, stopping the clock at 6:01.84 to take the record and the gold medal.<\/p>\n \u201cLast week, I kept the spirits high and attacked the race the way I wanted to, but I had already seen in my health data some indicators that I was fighting off something and wasn\u2019t completely fit. I feel 100% again now and it showed in my race,\u201d Bloemen said following his race. <\/p>\n \u201cLast season was difficult for me. I didn\u2019t really have any good performances, so I changed my training a bit in the summer and worked really hard to get back into medal contention. Up until now this season, I didn\u2019t have a race that proved I was back, but I knew it from my training that I was. I just wanted so bad to prove it, and today I did just that, and it was very relieving.\u201d<\/p>\n Maltais continued her strong start to the season with a personal best of 3:56.45 in the 3000m, following her silver in Salt Lake City last weekend. Dutch skater Joy Beune won gold (3:54.42), while Norway\u2019s Ragne Wiklund took silver (3:55.25).<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t even realize it was a personal best until somebody told me! I think that somehow this race feels more like a success and I\u2019m kind of enjoying it more,\u201d said Maltais. <\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to be on the podium again, but my focus was again on my process and how I wanted to race the race. To execute the race that I wanted to, and do have a performance like I did today, makes me proud. I felt that I was really focusing on what I was doing, knowing that I was paired with Isabelle and she was coming on strong at the end. I wanted to make sure I still had energy at the end to be able to fight, which I did.\u201d<\/p>\n Weidemann<\/a>\u00a0made an impressive comeback to put herself in the 3,000m podium contention. The 30-year-old was in tenth place midway through the race but picked up the speed to finish the distance in 3:56.66, falling just shy of the podium in fourth place. Joining them in the top ten was\u00a0Blondin<\/a>, finishing eighth place with a time of 4:00.42.<\/p>\n![\"Casey](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CP175356586.jpg\")
Casey Dawson, centre, of the United States, celebrates his victory with second place finisher Norway\u2019s Sander Eitrem, left, and third place finisher Canada\u2019s Ted-Jan Bloemen on the podium following the men\u2019s 5000-metre competition during ISU World Cup speed skating in Calgary, Alta., Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Jeff McIntosh![\"Canada's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CP175356590.jpg\")
Canada\u2019s Ted-Jan Bloemen skates during the men\u2019s 5000-metre competition during ISU World Cup speed skating in Calgary, Alta., Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Jeff McIntosh<\/p>\n![\"Canada's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CP175356146.jpg\")
Canada\u2019s Valerie Maltais skates during the women\u2019s 3000-metre competition during ISU World Cup speed skating in Calgary, Alta., Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Jeff McIntosh![\"Joy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CP175356593.jpg\")
Joy Beune, centre, of the Netherlands, celebrates her victory with second place finisher Norway\u2019s Ragne Wiklund, left, and third place finisher Canada\u2019s Valerie Maltais on the podium following the women\u2019s 3000-metre competition during ISU World Cup speed skating in Calgary, Alta., Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Jeff McIntosh<\/p>\n