Canadian skaters Bloemen, Fish hope to push each other to top of podium
Each has held the world record in the 10,000 metres
Inside the Olympic Oval in Calgary in early October, the Olympics still looming in the distance, Canadian speed skater Graeme Fish was trying to catch his breath.
The 24-year-old from Moose Jaw, Sask. had just finished a 10,000-metre race against his training partner, Ted-Jan Bloemen.
"I threw up after the race. I was spent," Fish said. "Ted is a really great teammate. Technically, he's probably the best skater in the world. He's super efficient."
Bloemen is the 2018 Olympic champion in the 10,000m. Fish was just starting to get really serious about the sport during those Games in South Korea and remembers vividly watching what Bloemen did.
It sparked something inside of him — now the two are pushing each other to the edge and it's making them both better because of it.
"I'm skating with the Olympic champion," Fish said. "Just following Ted. You always have to be on with him."
Now the two will compete together at the Beijing Olympics.
Bloemen has already competed at the Games and is going to need to rebound for what can only be described as a disappointing result. On the second day of competition Bloemen was skating in the 5,000m, the same event he won silver in four years ago in Pyeongchang. He was ranked second in the long distance coming into the race.
He started strong but faded fast, finishing in 10th spot.
"I started out really well and I don't know what happened. I am really confused. I don't understand it," Bloemen said after the race.
It's time to regroup for Bloemen, who still has two events left.
While Fish has been following Bloemen's lead for years, he eventually passed him in dramatic fashion in February 2020. At the Oval in Salt Lake City, Fish not only won the 10K gold medal at the world championship, he set a new world record — a record that was previously held for five years by Bloemen. It has since been passed by Sweden's Nils van de Poel.
Just a few years before that prolific moment, Fish wondered what was ahead for him in speed skating and if he would ever be as good as Bloemen. And then, on that February day he stood atop the podium, Bloeman beside him after finishing second.
Fish and Bloemen are hoping their competitive yet positive training environment can help lead to a double-podium performance in Beijing.
"I don't think it would be a surprise. It would be awesome though," Bloemen told CBC Sports when asked about the potential. "I believe it's a possibility."
Fish agrees: "It shouldn't be a surprise. Two years ago we went one and two."
Bloemen is bursting with confidence as he heads into another Games. A lot has changed in his life since becoming Olympic champion in 2018.
Being a father has made Bloemen's life richer
In September, 2019, Bloemen and his wife Marlinde celebrated the birth of their daughter, Fiene. And being a dad, as much as Bloemen loves his job as a speed skater, is now the most important undertaking in his life.
A quick glance at his Instagram profile shows just how much he loves his little girl — there is photo after photo of young Fiene.
"Being a father, my life is just a bit richer now. I still have the same love for skating. But I get to watch my daughter grow up. It's amazing to experience," Bloemen said.
In a lot of ways, this new perspective of being a father has allowed Bloemen to be a better teammate as well.
At 35 years old, he's the veteran on the team. Bloemen has talked in the past about how when he was younger he was somewhat selfish about his pursuit of greatness. Those days are over and Fish is benefitting from it.
"If we're not racing we have a lot of fun together. We push each other and we're growing together. If I have to make some of my teammates better to also get better myself, then I'll take that," Bloemen said.
These Games will be Bloemen's second. His story has been well-documented, having left the Netherlands to come and skate for Canada beginning in 2014.
WATCH | Graeme Fish and his pride in his roots:
It was the biggest move of his life. His father is Canadian, born in New Brunswick, which allowed Bloemen to obtain dual citizenship, move to Calgary and start skating for a country that for years was only known as his competition.
Since then, Bloemen has flourished and he would love nothing more than to defend his title in Beijing.
This season in the World Cups before the Olympics, Bloemen has won three individual medals.
"I'm going to give it my best shot. I want to win one, two, three medals. I want to win them all. I'm going to do everything I can to achieve that. I'm not desperate anymore. I have my medals," Bloemen said. "If it's time to pass the torch, then it's time to pass the torch. But I'm going to do everything in my power to win it one more time."
Tested positive for COVID
And if the torch does indeed get passed, Bloemen would love for it to be Fish who takes it.
It hasn't been the smoothest season though for the Saskatchewan speed skater. In November, while competing in Norway, Fish tested positive for COVID-19.
It forced him to miss two World Cup events leading into what was supposed to be the last-chance Olympic qualifiers in late December. The Omicron surge led to those events being cancelled.
Fish has made a full recovery and was nominated to the team. He's now poised for his Olympic debut, skating in the race he loves most.
"I want to win the 10,000 metres. That's my distance. That's what I've always had my mind on," he said.
Their greatness on the ice is unavoidable. Their paths getting to this point couldn't be more different.
And here's the thing about Bloemen and Fish — they both love speed skating. This isn't a casual, somewhat invested, love of sport. They're all in, all of the time. And they've found each other. In Calgary at the Oval, the place that's said to have the fastest ice on earth.
And each day they show up to train as friends. And then race as enemies. Then take on the world with the hopes of standing on the podium together at the Olympics.
"We're great friends. But when we're on the line the gloves come off. We don't want to lose. We're both winners. We're going to give it everything," Bloemen said.
