Ivanie Blondin wins silver for 8th career mass start medal at world championships
Fellow Canadian Connor Howe earns bronze in 1,500m on final day in Hamar, Norway
Canada's Ivanie Blondin claimed silver in the women's mass start for her third medal at the 2025 world single distances championships in Hamar, Norway.
The 34-year-old from Ottawa finished 0.2 seconds behind Dutch long-tracker Marijke Groenewoud, who won her third mass start world title with a time of eight minutes 23.17 seconds in the final event of the four-day competition.
Italy's Francesca Lollobrigida clocked 8:23.58 for bronze.
WATCH l Blondin skates to silver in mass start:
"It was a solid race. I didn't really have the legs for the final sprint. I wasn't being defensive at all, so it was difficult making my way through, Blondin said in a release. "At one point I was a bit further back with two laps left because there was some bumping happening which is usual.
"I am still happy with the outcome and how I was feeling all week. I just didn't feel like I was tip top today."
Blondin finished second in the event for the fourth straight year after winning it in 2020, collecting her eighth career mass start medal at the world championships. The 2022 Olympic silver medallist won two World Cup silver medals and a bronze in the discipline this season.
Groenewoud also beat Blondin earlier this month for a mass start gold medal at the World Cup stop in Heerenveen, Netherlands.
"It makes it a lot easier losing to Marijke because she is such a sweetheart, and we are really good friends," Blondin said. "We did a little bike ride together last week and had coffee. It has been a long week and season. I don't want to make excuses, but I think it maybe was not the best preparation for worlds for myself."
Blondin also helped Canada earn a team sprint silver medal in Hamar on Thursday and bronze in Friday's team pursuit, marking the third straight year she has reached the podium in all three events at worlds.
She raced in the women's 1,500 metres earlier Sunday, finishing eighth as the top Canadian in 1:56.31.
Valérie Maltais of La Baie, Que., was eighth in the mass start and 13th in the 1,500m.
Connor Howe, from Canmore, Alta., opened the day with a bronze medal in a tight men's 1,500m, finishing 0.07 seconds behind American silver medallist Jordan Stolz (1:44.71).
Norway's own Peder Kongshaug sent Stolz, a 20-year-old phenom, home without a world title for the first time in his career — dethroning the two-time defending champion with a time of 1:44.64.
WATCH l Howe finishes 3rd in 1,500m:
It's Howe's first career individual medal at worlds.
"I am really happy," Howe said. "It's been a few years that I felt like I had the potential, but it never would come together at the right moment so I'm happy it finally came together. All week I have been focusing on my start because it has been a bit off. I got off the line well today.
"I was able to save the energy and keep the speed in that last lap. It's always a bit stressful sitting there watching. I thought it [the time] would hold up decently. It was close between the top three so it could have gone either way."
Howe entered the race with five top-10 World Cup finishes over 1,500m this year, with his previous best result having been sixth.
Saint-Lambert, Que., native David La Rue (1:47.38) was 16th.
Stolz, who swept the men's 500m, 1,000m and 1,500m events at the previous two world championships, took silver in Friday's 500 and bronze in Saturday's 1,000.
In other Canadian results, Calgary's Ted-Jan Bloemen and Moose Jaw, Sask.'s Graeme Fish finished sixth and 12th, respectively, in the men's 10,000m, which was won by Italy's Davide Ghiotto for the third straight year.
With files from The Canadian Press
