ASTANA, Kazakhstan – Canada’s Ted-Jan Bloemen won bronze in the men’s 5,000 metres Friday on the first day of competition in the Kazakhstan round of the long-track speedskating World Cup.
Bloemen, from Calgary, finished in six minutes 22.82 seconds.
New Zealand’s Peter Michael won gold in 6:21.58 and Germany’s Patrick Beckert took silver in 6:22.09.
Jordan Belchos of Toronto was eighth.
Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic won the women’s 3,000 metres in 4:02.90, with Russia’s Anna Yurakova 0.94 seconds slower.
Third place went to Miho Takagi of Japan in 4:05.68 and Ottawa’s Ivanie Blondin was fourth.
Yu Jing of China won the first of the weekend’s two events in the women’s 500 in 37.85 seconds, beating compatriot Zhang Hong by 0.02 seconds and South Korean Lee Sang-Hwa by 0.1 seconds.
Marsha Hudey of White City, Sask., was fifth and Winnipeg’s Heather McLean was ninth. Noemie Fiset of Quebec City was 20th.