Canada wins gold for a third straight day at the Olympics
All of a sudden, there’s a Canadian gold rush at the Winter Olympics.
The speed skating trio of Isabelle Weidemann, Valerie Maltais, and Ivanie Blondin have won another gold medal for Canada. They won gold in the women’s team pursuit event, beating out the Netherlands in the final. Japan got bronze.
It wasn’t until midway through the race that Canada took the lead, which they didn’t relinquish.
Gold for Canada in three straight days 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
Isabelle Weidemann, Valerie Maltais, and Ivanie Blondin win gold in women’s team pursuit 🥇🥇🥇pic.twitter.com/e49Nw8gJCl
— Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) February 17, 2026
As the Canadians celebrated their victory, the DJ at the Milano Speed Skating Arena played a classic Shania Twain tune, “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” while Weidemann, Maltais, and Blondin danced on their skates.
Blondin revealed after the race that she made the request.
Weidemann, Maltais, and Blondin defended their title, as they won gold in this event four years ago at Beijing 2022.
But there will be no three-peat, as all three skaters told reporters after the race that this will be the last Olympics for each of them.
“It means the world, I wouldn’t want to be standing here with anyone else,” Blondin said of her teammates.
“It was an honour to show up at the line and be the defending Olympic champion,” Maltais added.
“I’m so proud of all the work that the three of us have done over the last four years,” said Weidemann. “We’re a very different team than in Beijing… we were rookies or babies going into 2022. I’m just so, so proud.”
All three Canadian skaters had previously won multiple Olympic medals in their careers.
Weidemann, 30, won gold, silver, and bronze four years ago, earning the Ottawa native the honour of being named Canada’s flag bearer at the Beijing 2022 Closing Ceremony.
Blondin, a 35-year-old from Ottawa, also won gold and silver in Beijing.
This is Maltais’ second medal of the Milano Cortina Olympics, capturing bronze 10 days ago. The 35-year-old from La Baie, Que., also won gold four years ago in long-track speed skating, and took home silver at Sochi 2014 in short-track speed skating.
Maltais also won bronze in the women’s 3,000-metre event 10 days ago (Leah Hennel/COC)
After a slow start in Italy, Canada has now won gold in three consecutive days. This is Canada’s 12th medal of the Milano Cortina Olympics: three gold, four silver, and five bronze.