Ted-Jan Bloemen caps impressive 2018 with top award from Speed Skating Canada

Calgary’s Ted-Jan Bloemen capped an impressive 2018 season by being named Speed Skating Canada long track male athlete of the year on Friday.

Bloemen won the Jeremy Wotherspoon award for male athlete and Ottawa’s Ivanie Blondin took home the Catriona Le May Doan as top female in long track.

Bloemen set an Olympic record while winning gold in the 10,000 metres at the 2018 PyeongChang Games. He also captured a silver in the 5,000 and was the 2017-2018 World Cup champion in both distances.

Blondin called her season “bittersweet” in March. She represented Canada at the 2018 Games but came back from South Korea without a medal from four events. However, she won silver in the final mass start of the season, bolstering her overall World Cup ranking to bronze on the last day of the 2018 ISU World Cup Final.

Olympians Kim Boutin and Samuel Girard were named athletes of the year for short track.

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Boutin, from Sherbrooke, Que., won three medals at the Games including silver in the women’s 1,000 and bronze in the 500 and 1,500.

Girard, of Ferland-et-Boilleau, Que., won Olympic gold in the men’s 1,000 and a bronze in the men’s relay.

The recipients were elected based on nominations put forth by Speed Skating Canada’s members and committees.

Four-time Olympic medallist in short track Tania Vicent from Laval, Que., was inducted into Speed Skating Canada’s Hall of Fame.

The Canadian Press