It was a fantastic finish to a career-best campaign for speed skater Ivanie Blondin. The 23-year-old Ottawa native capped her 2012-13 season by placing eighth in the 5,000 metres at the world single-distance speed skating championships in Sochi, Russia.

A dozen or more Ottawa athletes could represent Canada in Sochi, with numerous medal contenders

The Gloucester Concordes Speed Skating Club bid farewell to Dave and Lynne Morrison in mid-February.

Cumberland's Vincent De Haître earned four top-10 race results at the world junior long-track speed skating championships Feb. 22-24 in Italy.

He tripped and fell twice due to cracks and bumps in the ice, but Orleans’ Kevin Frost became the first deaf-blind athlete to complete the 8 km skating portion of the Winterlude Triathlon Feb. 2 on the Rideau Canal. Frost completed the relay with visually-impaired skier Leona Emberson and sighted runner Sean Maddox.

Two other up-and-coming talents from the capital have joined Ivanie Blondin, 22, at the Olympic Oval in Calgary, and both recently earned Canadian team positions for international events.

4-time Olympic speed skating medalist Kristina Groves to return home for 2012 Ottawa Sports Awards gala & have female athlete of the year trophy named after her

Ottawa deaf-blind speed skater Kevin Frost completed his first 42 km marathon at a December competition in Lake Placid, NY. Racing able-bodied competitors, the 45-year-old earned a silver medal in that event and a bronze in a sprint competition.

The absence of grace is serving Ottawa native Ivanie Blondin well. Her recent string of World Cup medals and top-10 international results leaves no doubt that a comment from her former figure skating coach has led to much greater things.

Despite a crash in the 3,000 m ‘A’ final, Benjamin Yang of the host Gloucester Concordes managed to finish fourth in the race en route to a third-place performance overall in the men’s open division at the Nov. 24-25 Ontario Cup short-track speed skating meet.