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Skating together in the same event for eight years, you learn how to build a championship formula.
Canadian speed skaters Isabelle Weidemann, Valérie Maltais, and Ivanie Blondin have possessed strong on-ice chemistry in the women’s team pursuit since placing a surprising fourth at the 2019 world championships.
But that alone wasn’t going to keep them atop the medal podium following their 2022 Olympic record performance in Beijing. With more parity in the sport came a change in strategy, with the Canadians opting to have the six-foot-two Weidemann lead and Maltais and Blondin behind her pushing the entire race.
Staying connected off ice has also been a key to success, which takes practice and dedication. “We’re three very different individuals and different athletes,” Weidemann said in November.
But in Tuesday’s Olympic final in Italy, Canada worked as one, utilizing precise strategy and successfully defending its title, prevailing over the Dutch.
They covered six laps at Milano Speed Skating Stadium in two minutes 55.81 seconds while the Netherlands clocked 2:56.77.
Canadian speed skaters Isabelle Weidemann, Valérie Maltais, and Ivanie Blondin defeated the Netherlands in the women’s team pursuit final at Milano Cortina 2026, to repeat as Olympic champions.
“We’re a little bit in shock,” Weidemann told CBC Sports. “We had two races today so we couldn’t look far ahead.
“After the semifinal we weren’t talking about silver. We’ve got a job to do, still.”
1st repeat champs since 2010
Four years ago, Canada’s long track athletes set a Games record in Beijing to defeat defending champions Japan in 2:53.44. On Tuesday, Weidemann, Maltais and Blondin became the first repeat champions in the event since Germany in 2006 (Turin, Italy) and 2010 (Vancouver).
Weidemann, Maltais and Blondin join freestyle skiers Mikaël Kingsbury (dual moguls) and Megan Oldham (women’s big air) as Canadian champions in Italy, where the 207-member team has also earned four silver and five bronze medals.
In women’s team pursuit, two teams of three skaters each begin simultaneously on opposite sides of the 400-metre oval. Team members often take turns leading, with their teammates close behind to take advantage of lower wind resistance and the clock only stops when all three skaters have crossed the finish line.
After winning Olympic women’s team pursuit gold in an empty arena in Beijing, due to COVID in 2022, Canada’s Valérie Maltais, Isabelle Weidemann and Ivanie Blondin were happy to celebrate their successful title defence with fans in the stands at Milano Cortina 2026.
Netherlands was quicker early in the gold-medal showdown and led by 0.75 seconds after two laps, but Canada cut the deficit to 0.43 midway through the race. With two laps remaining, the Canadians were ahead by 0.10 and increased its advantage to 0.46 with a lap to go.
The Dutch, while looking relaxed, were getting a little heavy on their feet, said CBC Sports analyst Anastasia Bucsis, a two-time Canadian Olympic speed skater.
Weidemann, Maltais and Blondin took advantage and won a sprint to the finish.
“For them to do this on the biggest stage after [having] to figure out a few tactical changes, they never lost the faith,” Bucsis said. “They were the best team today and are the greatest Canadian team pursuit [group] of all-time.”
Canadian speed skaters Isabelle Weidemann, Valérie Maltais, and Ivanie Blondin successfully defended Olympic gold medal in team pursuit Tuesday at Milano Cortina 2026.
Two hours before the women’s team pursuit final, Canada went 2:55.92 against the United States (3:00.14) in the semifinals, while the Dutch trio of Marijke Groenewoud, Joy Beune and Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong prevailed in 2:55.84 but was tested was Japan (2:55.95). Canada posted a 2:55.03 quarterfinal time on Saturday.
“They looked so good in the qualifiers,” Bucsis said of Weidemann, Maltais and Blondin. “I don’t think we’ve seen them skate this well since Beijing. They [were the] same in the semis.
Japan grabs bronze over U.S.
“It does take Isabelle a minute to get up to speed but once she’s there, she’s such a brilliant skater. Race IQ for all these women, through the roof. For them to come together and do what they did [in the final is] spectacular.”
In Tuesday’s bronze showdown, Japan was victorious in 2:58.50 against the U.S. (3:02.00).
“I honestly feel very happy,” Japanese middle-distance icon Miho Takagi told reporters. “Until the very end, we never gave up fighting and we challenged ourselves, and I think this medal is the result of that.
“Of course, there is still some frustration that we could not quite beat the Netherlands in the semifinal, but even so, after skating two races in one day and attacking both of them, this bronze is something we can be proud of.”
Weidemann, Maltais and Blondin carried plenty of momentum into these Games, having combined for eight individual World Cup medals this season (gold, four silver, three bronze) while reaching the podium three times in team pursuit and coming away with a victory and two silver medals.
Earlier at these Games, Maltais claimed bronze in the women’s 3,000 metres.
In the final team pursuit of 2025, Weidemann, Maltais and Blondin won gold in 2:57.20 to beat the Americans (2:57.29) and Japan (2:58.62) in Hamar, Norway for Canada’s first World Cup victory in the event since January 2024 in Salt Lake City.
The Canadian women also collected silver earlier this season in Salt Lake City and Calgary after not picking up a medal during the 2024-25 campaign.
Netherlands improved from its bronze finish in Beijing but, obviously, wanted gold after winning the event at the past two world championships.
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