Canada’s Isabelle Weidemann, Valérie Maltais, and Ivanie Blondin have retained their Olympic gold medal in the women’s team pursuit speed skating event at the 2026 Winter Games in Milan.
CBC Sports, Canada
The Canadian trio completed six laps at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium in a time of 2:55.81, narrowly beating the Netherlands, who finished at 2:56.77. This marks the second consecutive Olympic gold for Canada in this event, following their record-setting victory in Beijing four years earlier where they defeated Japan in 2:53.44.
Weidemann, Maltais, and Blondin are the first team to repeat as Olympic champions in the women’s team pursuit since Germany achieved the feat in 2006 and 2010. Their victory adds to the success of the Canadian delegation in Italy, which includes gold medals in freestyle skiing by Mikaël Kingsbury and Megan Oldham, alongside several silver and bronze medals.
The team pursuit format involves two teams of three skaters starting on opposite sides of the oval track, with leadership rotating among team members to take advantage of wind resistance dynamics. Although the Dutch team led by 0.75 seconds after two laps, Canada steadily gained ground and overtook their rivals by the final laps to secure the win.
Analyst and former Olympian Anastasia Bucsis highlighted that the Canadian team adapted tactics throughout the race and demonstrated superior teamwork and race intelligence. The Canadians executed a strong sprint to the finish, ultimately widening their lead over the Dutch team.
Prior to the final, Canada had delivered strong performances in the quarterfinals and semifinals, defeating the United States and closely contending with the Netherlands. Valérie Maltais also earned a bronze medal in the individual 3,000 metres earlier in the Games, marking Canada’s first speed skating medal in Milan-Cortina.
In the bronze medal match, Japan defeated the United States with a time of 2:58.50. The Japanese skaters expressed pride in their performance despite narrowly missing out on advancing against the Netherlands in the semifinal.
Leading up to the Olympics, the Canadian team entered with significant momentum, having achieved several individual and team podium finishes in the World Cup circuit. Their victory in Milan reaffirms their position as a dominant force in women’s speed skating team pursuit.
