Valérie Maltais secured a silver medal in the women’s mass start event, marking her second podium finish of the weekend at the final speed skating World Cup race of the season. The 35-year-old athlete from La Baie, Quebec, completed the 16-lap race in eight minutes and 38.77 seconds, coming in just behind Marijke Groenewoud of the Netherlands with a time of 8:38.32.
Expressing her feelings about the race, Maltais mentioned that despite aiming for a podium finish, her focus was on her performance during the race. She shared her surprise at her strong performance considering the recent intense training block she had completed. Maltais expressed happiness with her current form and recovery, looking forward to further improvement in the upcoming weeks.
The previous day, Maltais clinched a bronze medal in the women’s 3,000-meter race, securing her third individual medal of the season. Her recent success adds to her impressive track record, with six World Cup podium finishes in individual distances, primarily excelling in the 3,000-meter events.
Having qualified for her fifth Olympic Games earlier in the season, Maltais continues to showcase her strength on the ice. Ottawa’s Ivanie Blondin also displayed a commendable performance, narrowly missing the podium on Sunday by a mere 1-100th of a second. Despite this, Blondin contributed to Canada’s success by aiding in securing a silver medal in the women’s team sprint event.
The Canadian long track speed skating team is currently in Inzell for a week-long training camp before heading to Italy for the Olympics. The upcoming races at the Milano Ice Park in Rho are scheduled to take place from February 7 to February 21. Fans can catch the action from the ISU Speed Skating World Cup in Inzell, Germany, through full replay coverage available online.
