Canada’s Olympic gold medal speedskating trio have eyes on world record
Global News
Canadian Olympic athletes Isabelle Weidemann, Ivanie Blondin and Valerie Maltais are vying to smash a speedskating world record come Friday in Calgary.
After an Olympic gold medal, going where no team as gone before drives Isabelle Weidemann, Ivanie Blondin and Valerie Maltais.
The trio captured gold in women’s team pursuit in Beijing in February after four years of making the event a priority in their training.
Canadian women have a strong history in the six-lap race, which features two teams of three racing both the clock and each other, but Ottawa’s Weidemann and Blondin and Maltais of La Baie, Que., are Canada’s first Olympic champions in it.
Reclaiming a world record for Canada is the next carrot the trio will chase.
“We always have our eyes set on the world record,” Weidemann told The Canadian Press. “We want to put our names in that record book. If that isn’t in the cards for us, at least we’re going to finish this team pursuit, this legacy, just trying to do that.”
They’ll compete in team pursuit Saturday in Calgary in the first of back-to-back World Cups at the Olympic Oval.
Racing starts Friday and concludes Sunday followed Dec. 16-18 by another three-day World Cup at the oval.
“The only thing that we haven’t accomplished as a team is that world record,” Blondin said. “That’s definitely a goal of ours. It would be cool for sure to do it on home ice.”