Ivanie Blondin

Other sports

In addition to competing in speed skating, she competed in short track at three editions of the world junior championships between 2005 and 2009. She has also competed in track cycling and road cycling at national level in Canada. (SportsDeskOnline, 28 Nov 2013; cyclingarchives.com, 05 Jan 2012)

Name of coach	Bart Schouten [national], NED; Elizabeth Ward [short track]
When and where did you begin this sport?	She began skating in her backyard at age two, and first tried short track at age seven in Ottawa, ON, Canada. She switched to speed skating at age 20.
Reason for choosing this sport	She initially competed in figure skating but says she was not graceful enough and enjoyed skating fast, so she switched to speed skating. She then took up short track, before moving on to speed skating in 2010 after suffering five concussions over a three-year period in short track.

Most influential person in career	Hungarian speed skater [and her husband] Konrad Nagy. (Athlete, 18 Nov 2018)
Injuries	A virus caused her to withdraw from the 1000m and 3000m races at the 2016 World Cup event in Nagano, Japan. She was able to compete in the mass start later in the tournament, finishing second. (cbc.ca, 20 Nov 2016) She had tendinitis in her left knee in 2012. (Athlete, 03 Dec 2015) In 2011 she injured her knee and had glandular fever. (ottawacitizen.com, 04 Nov 2012) During her short track career, she suffered five concussions over a period of three years. (Athlete, 27 Jan 2017)

www.facebook.com/IvanieBlondin/
twitter.com/ivanieb

Sporting philosophy / motto	"It's not about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." (olympic.ca, 28 Feb 2022)
Awards and honours	She received the Catriona Le May Doan Award from Speed Skating Canada in four consecutive years between 2015 and 2018, and then again in 2020 and 2021. The honour recognises the Canadian long track female athlete of the year. (ontariospeedskating.ca, 07 Sep 2021; speedskating.ca, 04 Sep 2020) She has twice received the Kristina Groves Female Athlete of the Year Trophy at the Ottawa Sports Awards Dinner in Ontario, Canada. (ottawasportspages.ca, 26 Jan 2022)
Famous relatives	Her husband Konrad Nagy represented Hungary in speed skating at the Olympic Winter Games in 2014 and 2018. (calgarysun.com, 16 Oct 2021; SportsDeskOnline, 03 Jan 2020; Facebook profile, 07 Dec 2019)
Hobbies	Fostering dogs, spending time outdoors, camping, canoeing, water skiing, fishing, playing the piano and guitar, snowboarding, drawing, cycling. (cbc.ca, 22 Sep 2020; schaatsen.nl, 15 Mar 2020)

Training Regime

She trains at the Olympic Oval in Calgary, AB, Canada.

Other information	RETURN TO SHORT TRACK She represented Canada in short track at the beginning of her career, competing at World Cup events and three editions of the world junior championships. After focusing on long track speed skating for 13 years, she began training with short track coach Elizabeth Ward in 2023. Although she did not expect to compete in short track at World Cup events during the 2023/24 season, her long term goal is to represent Canada in both sports at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. "I have nothing to lose right now. I already have my medals. And I like being underestimated. I'm motivated by that. I have nothing to prove to anyone. It's for me. At the moment, I'm taking it as it comes and we'll see where it takes me" (lapresse.ca, 27 Sep 2023) CANINE THERAPY She experienced migraines and struggled to sleep after returning home from the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang without a medal. She then began fostering dogs, which helped her to recover her confidence and continue competing in the sport. "After the 2018 Games I found myself in a state of depression. I began my recovery by filling the house with foster dogs specialising on some hard medical and behavioural cases. Helping these dogs through some painful moments and bringing them into our home helped me overcome adversity. I was helping them, but it was actually helping me, too, because I felt like I had a purpose. I didn't realise it at the time – until after I was over my depression – what that experience has done for me." (theglobeandmail.com, 17 Feb 2022; CBC Sports YouTube channel, 10 Nov 2021; Facebook page, 09 Sep 2021; cbc.ca, 22 Sep 2020) FAMILY AFFAIR She married Hungarian speed skater Konrad Nagy in December 2020. "His team decided to keep him over in Europe this season [2021/22] versus being with our national team here in Canada. The Hungarian Federation treats me like one of their own because of Konny, and also because the Canadian team takes care of Konny while he's here." (CBC Sports YouTube channel, 10 Nov 2021; calgarysun.com, 16 Oct 2021; torontosun.com, 12 Oct 2021; kelownadailycourier.ca, 11 Dec 2020)
Memorable sporting achievement	Winning a gold medal and a silver medal at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (thestar.com, 19 Feb 2022)
Ambitions	To compete in short track and long track speed skating at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. (lapresse.ca, 27 Sep 2023)