(Calgary) The freestanding sign pointing the way to the media room at the Olympic Oval in Calgary took a beating on Sunday afternoon.
Ivanie Blondin waltzed her to the ground with a good punch after learning she was disqualified for an irregular change of course at the start of the mass start event final.
The Canadian skater, who had crossed the line in third place, left to change in the locker room to give an interview to CBC as the bronze medalist…
“It’s a stupid decision,” fumed Blondin, who had nevertheless regained his composure fifteen minutes later in front of the journalists of the written press.
The double medalist of the Beijing Olympics explained that she had slipped inside to react preventively to potential attacks from her two Dutch rivals. They had used a similar strategy to lead their country to victory at the previous World Cup in Heerenveen.
What confuses me is that obviously I was the victim of a change of lanes [similaire] on the penultimate straight. I was bothered by [Irene] Schouten, so I don’t understand why she wasn’t disqualified. It’s unfortunate the way things are going; it looks like the referees aren’t exactly on our side right now. That’s how it is, I can’t do anything about it.
Ivanie Blondin
Triple Olympic champion, Schouten outsprinted the American Mia Kilburg, and therefore Blondin, to win her second consecutive gold medal in this event. The Dutch Marijke Groenewood inherited the bronze after the disqualification of the Franco-Ontarian.
Encased at the exit of the last corner, Valérie Maltais had to swerve to the outside and was never able to get involved in the final sprint, finishing 12e. The Quebecer attempted an attack on the fifth lap, but changed her mind when she saw that the peloton was reacting and that she simply did not have the legs to carry out the maneuver successfully.
PHOTO DAVE HOLLAND, SUPPLIED BY SPEED SKATING CANADA
Valerie Maltais (7)
“I didn’t try for too long because I immediately felt that I wasn’t going to be able to hold on physically,” admitted the one who finished fifth and seventh in Heerenveen and Stavanger. “It’s not my best race, but I’ll definitely be able to learn from it. »
“We don’t skate together”
While the Dutch form a united front, Blondin and Maltais each adopt their personal tactics, with the tacit agreement not to harm each other mutually.
This formula does not seem to please Blondin, winner of the first group start in Norway.
“Schouten and Marijke were attacking one after the other and I was trying to fill the gaps because last time I was the only one in the whole peloton doing the dirty job,” she said. This is typically the case; girls don’t want to fight. »
It sucks for me because I’m alone. I have a teammate, but we don’t skate together.
Ivanie Blondin
During the last Olympic cycle, Maltais regularly put herself at his service, but the situation has changed since the Beijing Olympics. Blondin said it was not a coaching decision. “It comes from the individual athletes,” she clarified, adding that it was not her “who does not want to work together”.
The next mass start at the second World Cup in Calgary next weekend looks promising. The Belgian Sandrine Tas, sixth in the race, took care to put the panel back on its feet, the journalists should be able to find each other.