Blondin, Howe victorious in 1,500m races at Canadian speed skating trials

Ivanie Blondin blazed her way to a national title in the women's 1,500-metre event at the Canadian long track speed skating championships on Saturday in Calgary.

The 31-year-old finished with a season-best time of one minute and 54.64 seconds.

Blondin, of Ottawa, posted top-six finishes in the team pursuit, 3,000m and 5,000m in her second Olympic appearance at PyeongChang 2018.

Fellow Ottawa native Isabelle Weidemann placed second with a time of 1:55.57, while Valerie Maltais of La Baie, Que., was third in 1:55.80 at Calgary's Olympic Oval.

Maltais was victorious in the 1,000m on Friday with a personal-best time of 1:14.95 seconds.

WATCH | Isabelle Weidemann sets Canadian 5,000 record on Thursday:

Canada's Isabelle Weidemann sets national record in the 5,000 metres

3 years ago

Duration 7:25

Ottawa native Isabelle Weidemann skates to a national record in the 5,000 metres with a time of six minutes 46.81 seconds at the Canadian long track speed skating championships.

Connor Howe, a 21-year-old from Canmore, Alta., earned the men's 1,500m crown with a time of 1:43.50.

The national championships help finalize the Canadian team members for the upcoming season, which includes the Beijing Olympics that begin on Feb. 4.

Live coverage from Calgary continues on CBCSports.ca on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET with the women's and men's Mass Start.

WATCH | Day 4 of the long track national championships:

Canadian Long Track Championships: Day 4

3 years ago

Duration 1:51:40

Canadian Long Track Championships from Calgary, featuring the women's and men's 1,500m.