CALGARY — Canadian long-track speedskater Ted-Jan Bloemen has been awarded the 2016 Oscar Mathisen Award for breaking the 10,000-metre world record.
The award is given annually for the most outstanding speed skating performance of the season.
The Dutch-born Bloemen, who now represents Canada and is based in Calgary, finished the 10,000 with a time of 12 minutes 36.30 seconds in at a World Cup stop in Salt Lake City on Nov. 21. That broke the record of 12:41.69 set in March 2007 by Dutch speedskating star Sven Kramer.
"It is a really big honour as it’s the biggest award you can get in speed skating," Bloemen said in a release. "Growing up in Holland, loving speed skating, knowing the history of so many great champions who have won before and now being on that list is such a huge honour and I am very proud."
Bloemen is the fifth Canadian to win the award following Gaetan Boucher (1984), Cindy Klassen (2006), Jeremy Wotherspoon (2008) and Christine Nesbitt (2012).
