Ever since speed skaters Ivanie Blondin, Valérie Malthe and Isabelle Weidemann won team pursuit gold at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, the rest of the world has been working on ways to catch them.
As Canada's reigning Olympic champions approach the next Winter Games, they know resting on their laurels is not an option.
Blondin, Malta and Weidemann are in Salt Lake City for the first World Cup of the long course season, albeit in a shortened version due to the 2026 Milan-Cortina competition in February.
The trio arrived at the Utah Olympic Oval a few days earlier than the rest of their Canadian teammates for a pursuit-focused team camp “to get the group back together again,” Maltais said. They are here to work on a new strategy that the Canadians hope can put them back on top of the podium.
They've skated together twice before ahead of the 2025-26 season, but this time is different. For the first time, they are holding a training camp dedicated exclusively to the discipline in which they won Olympic gold almost four years ago. Since then they have seen their competitors eclipse them, prompting a change in racing tactics.
CBC analyst Christina Groves reports on long track speed skating's team pursuit, in which three athletes race together to push each other to their best time.
In the women's team pursuit, two teams of three skaters each start simultaneously on opposite sides of a 400-meter oval for a total of six laps. Team members often take turns leading with their teammates following behind to take advantage of less wind resistance, and the clock only stops when all three skaters have crossed the finish line.
When Blondin, Malta and Weidemann first teamed up at the 2019 World Championships, they unexpectedly finished fourth, despite one of the competitors having no experience of the discipline and racing tactics they still question.
“It was my first team pursuit and we finished fourth. And we did one billion, one million exchanges,” Maltais said. “I don't even remember exactly what we did. It's like there wasn't much I could do…”
“I don’t think either of us could have done anything,” Weidemann laughs.
“No, I honestly don’t remember, our strategy was crazy,” Maltes said. “It has evolved and changed, and even this year it will be a new strategy.”
Blondin said the race showed the new partnership could become something special.
“We were very excited because we thought, 'This was our first tournament together, you finished fourth at the world championships and we were very close to the podium. We thought, 'This is something we can work with,'” Blondin said.
Speed skating is essentially an individual sport, but team racing requires athletes to work in tandem using a clear strategy. Since races are usually decided in just a split second, every small advantage in time can mean the difference between victory and defeat.
All three skaters are stars in their own right. Weidemann, 30, won silver in the 5,000 meters and bronze in the 3,000 meters in Beijing. Blondin, 35, also won silver in the mass start at these Games and has also won silver in the mass start at the last two world championships. Maltais, also 35, began her career in short track speed skating and is the 2014 World Championships bronze medalist in the 1000m. She is the current national champion in the 3000 meters.
After their debut in 2019, the trio began to develop team pursuit tactics that would best suit their individual qualities.
“We're really back to the drawing board [saying] “What can we do better?” Blondin said. “We knew we could ride the fastest and Val would ride the first lap and a half and I would take over the next lap and a half. Thus, we have three circles left. Izzy then rode the last three laps with Val and I pushing from behind.
“It was the golden recipe of the time.”
They used this method to reach the top of the podium at Beijing 2022, setting an Olympic record in the final against Japan. Weidemann thinks about this moment often because it is where the team set the bar against which all future performance will be measured.
“I feel like that moment has really defined our team so far,” Weidemann said. “We have more chapters to write, but I think this is a point we're thinking a lot about and the standards we want to promote. [to] and the results we want to achieve again.”
WATCH | Canadians won Olympic gold in Beijing:
After Beijing, the trio used this winning formula to earn the world title in 2023. Then it seemed like the rest of the world started to catch up. The Netherlands won gold and Canada's silver at the 2024 World Championships, and they fell to a bronze medal last season, losing to the Dutch and Japanese.
“After [the Beijing] The games were kind of a team swap, kind of a game of having one person in the lead and two skaters trailing, just moving the whole race along,” Blondin said. “When exchanging, you actually lose… 0.2 [seconds] every exchange.”
Blondin said the new strategy benefited teams who were able to move well, maintaining high lap times throughout the race and posting faster times at the end.
“We were a little slow [to change] because our previous strategy was so successful that we slowly adapted to this new technique… we were still dominant. So… we continued with our strategy,” she said.
“In the end, everyone caught up with us a little – other teams, for example. [were] we got closer, and then they hit us here and there. And we were like, “Okay, like, we get it, change something.”
The Canadians may be changing things up as they try to find the extra gear they need to get back on the Olympic podium, but their expectations remain the same.
“I think our goal is to post some quick results from riding together to … demonstrate that we're a team to beat and maybe challenge ourselves and explore the unknown a little bit,” Weidemann said. “I think we all want to find out how fast we can go as a team.
“I don't think we've ever done this before and or ever [met] our full potential. I think that’s our goal to see if we can find it this year.”
Maltes expects the team to be in contention for a podium spot in Milan-Cortina, but she doesn't seem to think the team's performance at the last Games adds any extra pressure or expectations they don't already have.
“Defending the title is about going to the finish line and being as ready as possible for the fight and seeing which race we can show our best in,” Maltes said. “Even if it’s a podium, whether it’s a gold medal, silver or third place, I think at the end of the day it’s still like defending that title. [is] delivering the best performance we can.”
The off-ice strategy will also remain the same for the Canadians, who believe staying connected is key to their success and also requires practice and dedication.
“I think it’s like connecting with each other a little bit outside the oval. [is important]“Weidemann said. “That’s why it’s very important for us to drink coffee after training. And just talking about things not related to speed skating and just checking in with each other. We are three completely different people and different athletes.”
“Like Val said, to get on the line and get the most out of each other, we need to be there and support [one another]. I think we tried really hard to make sure we were all on the same page about this.”
“I think communication [plays] and that’s a big role,” Blondin added. “We are learning. And it's still an ongoing process.
“It's never been perfect, but we're still working on it.”
CBC Sports will provide live coverage of all action from the World Cup Speed Skating season opener at the Utah Olympic Oval, beginning Friday at 6 p.m. ET. Coverage continues Saturday (2:30 p.m. ET) and Sunday (3:00 p.m. ET), which will also feature the team pursuit event.
For complete information on when and how to watch speed skating this season, visit the CBC Sports broadcast schedule. by clicking here.
