The 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang are a week closer as winter athletes from around the globe are aiming to gain ground one the all-important World Cup circuit.
The World Cup circuit is a crucial performance indicator ahead of the 2018 Games in South Korea. All sports in the circuit will be part of the Olympic program.
Canada, which earned five medals this past week, is currently tied for second in total medals with the United States with 101 medals after 385 events. Apart from Germany, which has a comfortable lead, the standings are tight as Russia is only five medals back of Canada and the U.S.
The US has closed the gap on Canada in the overall winter World Cup standings #PathtoPyeongchang http://pic.twitter.com/9oOXhW2Y9f
— @CBCOlympics
Canada picked up five medals from the previous week, led by Ted-Jan Bloemen, who took home the gold medal in men's long track speed skating 5,000-metre race in Berlin, Germany.
The 31-year-old from Calgary is the current world-record holder in the 10,000 distance but his gold on Saturday was his first World Cup 5,000 win.
Calgary's Ted-Jan Bloemen wins gold in Berlin0:36
Kimberley McRae also stepped on the podium in Innsbruck, Austria, winning bronze at the luge world championships.
Canada's Kimberley McRae captures bronze at luge world championships2:11
"That is pretty cool and quite an honour. I'm honestly speechless," McRae said after the race. "I took a huge step forward this year. I think this shows all of the work we put in training this year is paying off. It really is amazing."
Streak snapped
Mikael Kingsbury had his streak of six consecutive gold medals in World Cup moguls snapped in Calgary.
The Sainte-Agathe-Des-Monts, Que., native finished second to Australia's Matt Graham in the men's event on Saturday.
Mikael Kingsbury's golden Calgary streak comes to an end2:42
Canadian sisters Justine and Chloe Dufour-Lapointe also just missed gold in moguls, finishing second and third to Britteny Cox. The Australian picked up her third gold in four events to start this season.
Justine and Chloe Dufour-Lapointe on sharing the podium1:24
Blouin cashes in for silver
Prior to the weekend, Stoneham, Que., native Laurie Blouin picked up a silver medal at the women's snowboard slopestyle World Cup in in Seiser Alm, Italy.
Blouin scored an 80.50 on her first run, only falling short to Finland's Enni Rukajarvi, who posted an 81.70 to claim gold.
Road to Pyeongchang: U.S. catches Canada in World Cup standings
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