Canadian speed skating women Weidemann, Blondin, Maltais grab team pursuit silver

The Netherlands won women’s team pursuit and Canada took second at a speed skating World Cup in Calgary on Sunday.Victorious Netherlands covers six-lap race in 2 minutes 52.2 seconds in CalgaryThe Canadian Press · Posted: Nov 23, 2025 4:08 PM EST | Last Updated: 21 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Valérie Maltais, pictured in a recent race in Salt Lake City, combined with Isabelle Weidemann and Ivanie Blondin to capture a silver medal in team pursuit on Sunday at the Olympic Oval in Calgary. ( Tyler Tate/Associated Press)The Netherlands won women’s team pursuit and Canada took second at a speed skating World Cup on Sunday in Calgary. The Dutch laid down a time of two minutes 52.2 seconds in the six-lap race at the Olympic Oval. Ottawa’s Isabelle Weidemann and Ivanie Blondin, and Valérie Maltais of La Baie, Que., skating in the final pairing with the United States finished in 2:52.68. Their national record is 2:52.067.”I think we’re pushing Japan and the Dutch. I think the Dutch [iced their] ‘A’ team today and we were close,” Maltais told CBC Sports. “We’re still [figuring out] where to put the hammer down to make sure we are consistent.”Our speed is there. It’s just fine-tuning. It’s exciting to watch. The times are so close [and] that wasn’t the case last season.WATCH | Canada places 2nd behind Netherlands in women’s team pursuit:Canada captures silver in women’s team pursuit at World Cup in CalgaryCanada’s Valérie Maltais, Ivanie Blondin and Isabelle Weidemann finish second in the women’s team pursuit final at the ISU Speed Skating World Cup in Calgary.Japan placed third just over half a second back of the Dutch. “I think we all heard the crowd, which was nice. Home crowd, and it’s pretty electric,” Blondin said, standing alongside her teammates. “It definitely adds a tad bit of motivation for all of us.”Weidemann, Blondin and Maltais are the reigning Olympic champions in the event after taking gold in Beijing in 2022. “I get to set the rhythm but the girls are pushing in the back,” Weidemann said. “We’re trying to work as a unit.”The Canadian trio opened the World Cup season with a silver medal in Salt Lake City and repeated it in Calgary.