Canada wins speed skating gold in Olympic record time
Canada has won its second gold medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The Canadian speed skating trio of Isabelle Weidemann, Ivanie Blondin, and Valerie Maltais scored an upset over Japan in the final of the women’s team pursuit, doing so in an Olympic record time of 2:53.44.
Japan held the lead in the race until the last lap, but Canada was gaining ground, just 0.32 seconds behind with half a lap to go.
With a close finish likely, Japanese skater Ayano Sato fell. It was a critical error that gave gold to the Canadians.
🥇 GOLDEN SKATE 🥇
Isabelle Weidemann, Ivanie Blondin and Valérie Maltais skate to GOLD in the women's team pursuit and do it in OLYMPIC RECORD time 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
Watch on the CBC Sports App and @cbcgem pic.twitter.com/zhqQlP5WvO
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 15, 2022
This is the first time Canada has won gold at the Olympics in team pursuit.
Weidemann now has the complete set of Beijing medals, adding gold to her collection that already included silver (5,000-metre) and bronze (3,000-metre) medals won in individual races last week. It’s the second career Olympic medal for Maltais, who won silver in short track speed skating in 2014.
This is Blondin’s first-ever Olympic medal. She, along with Weidemann, were part of the Canadian group that finished fourth in team pursuit in Pyeongchang four years ago.
Canada now has won two gold, four silver, and 11 bronze medals in Beijing.
A golden celebration for Canada🥇
And of course, since it's long track they are so exhausted they can barely celebrate 🇨🇦
Watch on the CBC Sports App and @cbcgem pic.twitter.com/4xyRiQ2urx
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 15, 2022
What a moment 🇨🇦 🥇
Canada's Isabelle Weidemann, Ivanie Blondin and Valérie Maltais feeling those gold medal feels at the venue ceremony for their GOLD medal win 👏 pic.twitter.com/VEVUmu8P6t
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 15, 2022
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