Canadian speed skating women capture gold for back-to-back Olympic titles in team pursuit

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.

“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."

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.

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.