Canadian long-track speed skater Valérie Maltais secured a bronze medal in the women’s 3000m event at the ISU Speed Skating World Cup in Inzell, Germany, marking her third individual podium finish of the season. Clocking in at three minutes and 59.920 seconds, the 35-year-old narrowly outpaced Kazakhstan’s Nadezhda Morozova (4:00.198) for the third-place position.
The race was dominated by Norwegian skater Ragne Wiklund, who not only clinched the gold but also set a new track record and personal best time of 3:54.74. The silver medal went to Joy Beune from the Netherlands with a time of 3:56.960.
Expressing satisfaction with her performance, Maltais commented, “I’m pleased with how I skated today. It was a consistent race, and I feel I executed well.” She acknowledged the swift start by Wiklund, stating, “I anticipated Ragne’s quick start, so we factored that into my race strategy.”
Having recently concluded a productive training camp in Spain, Maltais sees her latest achievement as a positive sign as she gears up for the upcoming Olympics. With five World Cup podium finishes in individual distances, all in the 3000m category, Maltais achieved her top World Cup result earlier in the season in Salt Lake City, where she finished second ahead of Wiklund in a November event.
Hailing from Saguenay, Quebec, Maltais qualified for her fifth Olympic Games earlier this winter, with the women’s 3000m event scheduled for February 7.
