It’s been four years since east end natives Ivanie Blondin and Isabelle Weidemann last competed at the Olympic Winter Games.
For Weidemann, it was a coming of age competition on the world’s biggest stage as she won two individual medals in the 3,000 and 5,000 metres and gold in the team pursuit with Blondin and Valeri Maltais from Quebec.
Blondin also won a silver medal in the women’s mass start.
The upcoming Winter Games taking place in Milano Cortina, Italy from Feb. 6-22 will be Blondin’s third Olympic Games and Weidemann’s second.
For the 35-year-old Blondin, it will likely also be her last Olympics At 30, it maybe Weidemann’s last as well.
Both women want to make the most of the opportunity, both individually and as part of the women’s pursuit team and so far this year, things are looking pretty positive.
At the most recent World Cup event in Calgary, Blondin won gold in the mass start and the pair combined with Maltais to capture a silver medal in the team pursuit event.
Weidemann also placed fourth in the 3,000 metres, while Blondin placed eighth.
In the opening World Cup event of the season in Salt Lake City in mid-November, Weideman placed fifth in the 3,000 and Blondin fifth in the mass start.
Showing the consistency they displayed all last season, Weidemann, Blondin and Maltais finished second in the team pursuit.
At both events in Salt Lake City and Calgary, Japan finished on top. Blondin and Weidemann have two more World Cups in the Netherlands and Norway on their schedule before Christmas and then one World Cup event in Inzell, Germany which will be the final tune up event before the Olympics get underway on Feb. 6.
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| Valerie Maltais, left, Isabelle Weidemman, centre, and Ivanie Blondin celebrate after winning the silver medal in Calgary on Nov 23. |
TRIVIA NIGHT from 7:30 p.m. every Monday night at the Royal Oak Pub Orléans. Free to play. Prizes for the winning team! The Royal Oak Pub is located at 1981 St. Joseph Blvd. near Jeanne d’Arc. For more info visit 
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ORLÉANS FARMERS’ MARKET from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the parking lot of the Ray Friel Recreation Complex on Tenth Line Road. Browse 130+ local vendors, grab a bite, and discover amazing handmade and local finds. Plenty of parking available.
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