Two veteran Canadian speed skaters are signaling the end of an era after capturing their second consecutive Olympic team pursuit championship at the Milano Cortina Games on Tuesday.
Isabelle Weidemann and Valerie Maltais, competing alongside teammate Ivanie Blondin, crossed the finish line in 2 minutes and 55.81 seconds, nearly a full second faster than the Dutch team to claim Canada’s inaugural speed skating gold medal at these Olympics.
The victory represents Canada’s third gold medal overall at the current Games, joining earlier wins by Mikael Kingsbury in men’s dual moguls and Megan Oldham in women’s freestyle skiing big air.
Following their triumph, both Weidemann and Maltais indicated their competitive careers are winding down as they prepare to make way for emerging Canadian talent.
“We skated together for eight years. I don’t think there are a lot of other teams that haven’t changed their team over the last eight years,” said Weidemann, who previously earned silver in the 5,000 meters and bronze in the 3,000 meters at the Beijing Olympics.
“Defending together meant a lot, but I also think we knew going in that we need to pass the torch a little bit. There’s another generation of Canadian speed skaters coming up and we’re really excited to watch them.”
Weidemann expressed pride in their lasting impact on the sport, adding: “We’ve done a lot for the team pursuit, the three of us. We’re ready to watch the next generation. I’m proud of where we’re leaving speed skating in Canada. We’ve paved the road a little bit with this team.”
The 35-year-old Maltais confirmed their Olympic careers are concluding, stating with humor about their future prospects.
“The future? I think we’re not going to be there in four years,” Maltais said with a laugh. “That’s the straight answer. Isabelle, at the end of the race, when we still had our skates on, she was like, ‘so this is it?’”
While Blondin, also 35, hasn’t made a definitive announcement about continuing her competitive career beyond these Games, she expressed intentions to stay connected with Speed Skating Canada in an advisory role.
