Six Star Magazine Six Star Magazine Fall 2018 | Page 36

AT H L E T E P R O F I L E
SIX STAR Q&A I
BLADES
OF
GLORY
BY DAVID SWALES
PHOTOS BY GREG KOLZ / SPEED SKATING CANADA
36 six star magazine
n the summer of 2014, with his professional skating career
in doubt and limited opportunities on the horizon, Ted-Jan
Bloemen immigrated to Canada from the Netherlands. His
father, Gerhard-Jan, was born in Bathurst, New Brunswick, so
this gave Ted-Jan a unique opportunity to reignite his skating
career in a new country and with renewed enthusiasm.
The plan worked: Earlier this year, at the Olympic Winter
Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, the speed skater lived up
to his true potential and breathed new life into the Canadian
program at the same time. For the 31-year-old, it was a dream
Olympic debut that could not have gone better.
The experience began with a silver medal in the 5,000-metre
event, Bloemen finishing second to archrival and former
countryman, Sven Kramer, arguably the greatest long-distance
speed skater in history. But in the prestige 10,000-metre race, the
newly minted Canadian turned the tables on Kramer, crushing
the Dutchman to stand atop the podium as “Oh, Canada” played
over the sound system.
Some four years after moving to Canada, Ted-Jan Bloemen has
two world records, two Olympic medals and numerous World
Cup podiums to his name. And he’s helped propel our country’s
long-track speed skating program back into the spotlight.