JEAN WINS MASS START BRONZE

As expected, Canada won a mass start medal Sunday at the World Single Distance Speed Skating championships in Gangneung, South Korea. It just came from a surprise source in Olivier Jean in the men’s race. Ottawa’s Ivanie Blondin entered the women’s race as the reigning champion in the new Olympic discipline. She was charging for a medal when Irene Schouten of the Netherlands fell in front of the Canadian skater. Blondin slowed down to avoid crashing and settled for 10th place. “It’s so frustrating, because I know I should have been first,” Blondin said. “I’m stronger than every one of those girls.” Jean, of Lachenaie, Que., won shorttrack gold in the 5,000-metre relay at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. The 32-year-old switched to long track 16 months ago with an eye on competing in the mass start at the 2018 Winter Games. “It’s an incredible feeling to win this medal,” Jean said. by step and focus on these next races, and then you start focusing on the off-season.”

Guay credited his off-season training last summer for helping him peak at the world championships. He plans to use the same blueprint in his preparations for PyeongChang.

Known for his steady, calm demeanour, Guay is philosophical about his two near misses on the Olympic stage. He lost out on bronze by a 10th of a second in the super G at the 2006 Turin Winter Games, and four years later in Vancouver, he posted a pair of fifth-place finishes.

The super G race proved