Canadian speed skater Isabelle Weidemann clinched a silver medal in the women’s 3,000 meters at a recent World Cup event in Hamar, Norway. Weidemann, hailing from Ottawa, initially faced a slow start but managed to surpass her Norwegian pair mate, Ragne Wiklund, to secure second place with a time of four minutes and 1.30 seconds. Marijke Groenewoud from the Netherlands claimed the gold medal alongside them on the podium.
Reflecting on her performance, Weidemann mentioned, “I’ve had several encounters with Ragne this season, and our rivalry has been intense. It usually takes me some time to find my rhythm, but once I do, I excel, while others struggle to keep up.” The podium also featured Valerie Maltais from La Baie, Que., finishing fourth and Ottawa’s Ivanie Blondin securing the tenth position.
Weidemann’s achievement in the 3,000m event followed her recent silver medal in the 5,000m race. With a strong showing throughout the Olympic qualifying World Cups, the 30-year-old athlete currently holds the second position overall in women’s long distances with 191 points, ahead of her teammate Maltais with 174 points. These results effectively prequalify both skaters for the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympics.
In other events on the same day, Beatrice Lamarche from Quebec City placed tenth in the women’s 1,000 meters, finishing nearly two seconds behind the winner, Miho Takagi of Japan. Meanwhile, Calgary’s Ted-Jan Bloemen secured the fifth spot in the men’s 5,000m, trailing gold medalist Metoděj Jílek from Czechia, who set a new track record with a time of 6:07.58.
Viewers can catch the live coverage of the ongoing competition in Hamar on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem, with the action resuming at 7 a.m. ET on Sunday. For the full streaming schedule, visit the link provided.
