Canada's Blondin snags top-10 finish at World Allround speed skating championships
Japan's Miho Takagi wins 500m race, 2nd in 3000m
Canadian speedskater Ivanie Blondin finished 10th in the women's 3,000-metre race and 12th in the 500 on Friday at the ISU World Allround Championships to sit in 11th place after the first day of competition.
Blondin skated to a time of 41.10 seconds in the 500 in the rain on an outdoor oval. The 27-year-old from Ottawa finished the 3,000 in four minutes 26.55 seconds.
"They were hard races, but they were also a lot of fun," said Blondin, who is taking part in the World Allrounds for the fourth straight time. "I really liked the atmosphere and the fact that it was raining. I felt like a gladiator.
"My goal is to skate to the best of my abilities in spite of the racing conditions and to have fun doing it. It's also a way of preparing for next week's World Cup finals."
Japan's Miho Takagi is first in overall standings after winning the 500 race and finishing second in the 3000. Dutch skaters Ireen Wust and Antoinette de Jong second and third overall.