Canada Defends Title in Women's Team Pursuit Speed Skating

Weidemann, Maltais, Blondin secure gold for Canada at 2026 Olympics

Canada's Isabelle Weidemann, Valerie Maltais, and Ivanie Blondin win gold in women's team pursuit speed skating at 2026 Winter Olympics.

“We've done a lot for the team pursuit, the three of us...”

Canada's Isabelle Weidemann and Valerie Maltais are ready to pass the torch to the next generation of speed skaters after winning gold in the women's team pursuit event at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics. Alongside Ivanie Blondin, they successfully defended Canada's Olympic title, stopping the clock at 2:55.81 seconds, 0.96 seconds ahead of the Netherlands.

This win marks Canada's first speed skating gold of the Games and their third gold overall, following victories in men's dual moguls and women's freestyle skiing big air. Weidemann and Maltais, both experienced Olympians, acknowledged it's time for new talent to shine.

China's third gold medal of the 2026 Winter Olympics came from Su Yiming's win in men's slopestyle snowboarding, adding to Mikael Kingsbury's dual moguls gold and Megan Oldham's big air win in women's freestyle skiing.

“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,” Weidemann, who also won silver in the 5,000 metres and bronze ⁠in the 3,000m at Beijing, said.

“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.

“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.”

Valerie Maltais, 35, acknowledged that this Olympics might be her last, saying they're ready to pass the torch. After defending Canada's title in the women's team pursuit, she's embracing the next chapter.

A second straight Olympic gold for #TeamCanada in the women’s team pursuit! The trio of Ivanie Blondin, Valérie Maltais, and Isabelle Weidemann rose to the occasion once again, defending their crown after winning gold at the Beijing 2022 Games. 🥇

Photo credit: Leah Hennel/COC pic.twitter.com/m7rd2zvhpi

— Prime Minister of Canada (@CanadianPM) February 17, 2026

“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?'”

Ivanie Blondin, 35, hasn't decided on her future in competitive speed skating, but she's keen on staying involved with Speed Skating Canada in some capacity. She's mentioned helping with logistics, travel bookings, and communications, and is already mentoring younger athletes.