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Canadian speed skating trio get redemption in team pursuit opener

Canadians Isabelle Weidemann, Ivanie Blondin and Valerie Maltais skated to a bronze medal in the first team pursuit race of the World Cup season on Saturday in Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Poland.

Capture bronze medal after 4th-place finish at world single distance championships

The Canadian Press ·
Canada's women's pursuit team delivered a bronze-medal performance Saturday, stopping the clock in three minutes 3.726 seconds to finish behind Russia and the Netherlands in the World Cup season opener in Poland. (Marian Zubrzycki/Associated Press)

Canadians Isabelle Weidemann, Ivanie Blondin and Valerie Maltais skated to a bronze medal in the first team pursuit race of the World Cup season on Saturday in Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Poland.

The trio, who finished fourth in the discipline at last year's world single distance championships, skated a time of three minutes 3.726 seconds to put them behind Russia and the Netherlands on the podium. The Japanese women, who had won the last ten team pursuit events, fell on the track in the final pairing to end their reign.

"This medal is a really great step for our team," said Weidemann. "We haven't skated together a lot -- our first race together was at the world single distance championships last year. We're going to train on our bikes in Spain over the next two weeks and hopefully we go into the next race a bit more calm and confident in how we're skating."

The medal is Maltais's first on the World Cup circuit since making the switch to long-track speed skating last year.

WATCH | Canadian trio skates to bronze medal:

Weidemann, Blondin, Maltais pick up team pursuit bronze in Poland

5 years ago
Duration 5:45
Canadians Isabelle Weidemann, Ivanie Blondin and Valerie Maltais skated to a bronze medal in the first team pursuit race of the World Cup season.
"It was not our best race and there are definitely things we can improve on, so we're going to take this medal and look forward to our next race," Maltais said.

Canadians also found success over individual distances. Tyson Langelaar of Winnipeg earned his best career result on the World Cup circuit, finishing fifth in the men's 1,500 metres. Antoine Gelinas-Beaulieu of Sherbrooke, Que., placed eighth.

Kaylin Irvine of Calgary and Marsha Hudey of White City, Sask., both reached the top 10 in the ladies 500, skating the seventh and ninth fastest times of the day.

Jordan Belchos of Toronto was sixth in the men's mass start, picking up four sprint points over the course of the race.

Other Canadian results:

  • Heather McLean (Winnipeg) — 17th in 500 metres
  • David La Rue (Saint-Lambert, Que.) — 6th in 1,500 (B Division)

The event concludes Sunday with the men's 500 and team pursuit along with the women's 1,500 and mass start starting at 9 a.m. ET at CBCSports.ca.

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