Olympic wake-up call: Ivanie Blondin gives Steve Armitage one final Canadian medal call
CBC
Ivanie Blondin has, at long last, captured her first individual Olympic medal after winning silver in the women's long track speed skating mass start at the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games.
"It is nice to finally get an individual medal. It has been a long and winding road for me," Blondin, of Ottawa, said.
"I am just really happy at this point to bring a medal back for my country."
WATCH | Ottawa's Ivanie Blondin claims Olympic silver in speed skating mass start:
Fellow Canadian Valérie Maltais placed sixth in the race. The Saguenay, Que., skater sped to a huge lead early in the race to pick up six sprint lap points, before the field caught up later in the race.
On the men's side, Calgary's Jordan Belchos finished in 13th place, while Antoine Gelinas-Beaulieu from Sherbrooke, Que., placed 15th.
Blondin's performance set the stage for a poetic curtain call to one of Canada's greatest broadcasters, as Steve Armitage called his final sporting event, capping an illustrious career with the CBC spanning more than 50 years.
WATCH | Steve Armitage makes the final call of his illustrious career:
To relive anything else you missed overnight, you can watch full replays of all Olympic events here.
Olivier Léveillé wrapped up his first Olympic experience with a 27th-place finish in the cross country 50km mass start. The race only ended up going 30km after organizers shortened the event due to weather.
The 20-year-old from Sherbrooke, Que., was the top Canadian in the race, finishing in one hour, 15 minutes and 54.3 seconds. Rémi Drolet from Rossland, B.C., finished in 35th place, 30.8 seconds behind Léveillé.
International Ski Federation officials shortened the race due to "strong winds and the resulting extreme conditions on the course," with temperatures around -18 C.
Swedish curling skip Niklas Edin completed his Olympic medal collection with a 5-4 extra-end win over Great Britain's Bruce Mouat in the men's gold-medal final.
Mouat extended the game, scoring a single with a draw on his last stone in the 10th end.
