Canada’s speed skating team had a successful day on Sunday, with the women’s team pursuit securing a gold medal in Hamar, Norway. Valérie Maltais, Ivanie Blondin, and Isabelle Weidemann finished first with a time of 2 minutes 57.20 seconds, outpacing the United States (2:57.29) and Japan (2:58.62). Despite a slow start, the Canadian team managed to catch up and overtake the U.S. in the final 200 meters.
Weidemann, who hails from Ottawa and won silver in the women’s 3,000 meters the day before, mentioned that they were aware of falling behind and focused on making up time in the last laps. This victory marked Canada’s first World Cup win in women’s team pursuit since January 2024.
The Canadian trio also clinched silver earlier in the season in Salt Lake City and Calgary after a medal-less previous season, showing significant improvement. With their latest triumph, Canada’s women’s team pursuit finished the World Cup season on top with 169 points, leading Japan with 156 points.
Weidemann expressed joy over their success, stating that their solid performances boost their confidence in their strategy and hard work. Looking ahead to the Olympics, she anticipates a tough competition among the top teams vying for the podium.
In other events, Blondin secured a bronze in the women’s mass start, enhancing Canada’s season tally to 15 medals across four events. The veteran skater closely followed Marijke Groenewoud from the Netherlands but couldn’t overtake her in the final sprint, finishing behind in 8:24.47. Maltais finished fifth in the same race.
Blondin reflected on the season, acknowledging some mistakes and the high pace of the race. She mentioned the challenges of training and competing in multiple distances over the past five weeks, looking forward to a well-deserved break until the upcoming Canada Cup in January.
The international speed skating season will conclude with a final World Cup event in Inzell, Germany, before the Winter Games in Italy. It’s a crucial period for athletes aiming to secure their spots for the Olympics.
