Maltais awarded Mass Start silver after lap counting confusion; Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu returns to international Mass Start podium with bronze

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – On the final day of the ISU World Cup Speed Skating in Salt Lake City, Isabelle Weidemann (Ottawa, Ont.), Valérie Maltais (La Baie, Que.) and Ivanie Blondin (Ottawa, Ont.) led Canada to a silver medal in the women’s Team Pursuit, a promising start to the season for the reigning Olympic champions, who failed to reach the World Cup podium in 2024-25.

Matched up with China in the second of four pairs, the Canadian trio implemented a new strategy – with Weidemann in front for all six laps – that helped them post a blistering time of 2:52.40, just a bit slower than their national record of 2:52:067 set at the World Cup in Calgary in 2021. Canada finished Sunday’s race behind Japan (2:52.13), but ahead of hosts the United States (2:54.01).

“We played around with our strategy a lot this summer. We skated together a lot more, which is something we haven’t done in the last four years since the Games. We kind of all went different directions, with different coaches, but we made it a priority to work on the Team Pursuit this summer.

We used exchanges quite a bit in the past, but the world has gotten so much faster so we had to go back to a no-exchange strategy and figure out who should be in front. We looked at everyone’s strengths and have created a strategy that reflects that. Today was the first time we used it in a race, so I think we need to trust it a little bit more. It’s fast, and now we know it’s fast.”

Isabelle Weidemann

The result marks a positive start to the season for the veteran trio, who have earned dozens of World Cup medal and reached the World Championship podium in five consecutive seasons since joining forces in 2019. They’ll look to perfect their new strategy over the coming months, in hopes of defending their Olympic title at Milano-Cortina 2026.

Racing on Sunday ended with a bit of confusion, as a lap counting error delayed the results of the women’s Mass Start, a race that had big implications for a pair of Canadians.
 
Canada’s Valérie Maltais (La Baie, Que.) and three other skaters broke away from the pack following the first sprint lap, taking turns pushing the pace to build their lead, which at oen point was only 100m away from catching up to the main pack. The 35-year-old Maltais was narrowly passed by American Mia Manganello (8:25.57) at the finish line, settling for a hard fought silver medal, with Dutch skater Bente Kerkhoff finishing in bronze medal position (8:25.85).
 
Despite on-ice celebrations from the three top finishers, a lap counting issue caused confusion at the Utah Olympic Oval, requiring officials to consult video replay to determine whether the lead group skated the necessary 16 laps. The results were made official nearly 20 minutes after racing ended, confirming the podium positions for Manganello, Maltais and Kerkhoff. Meanwhile, the second Canadian in the race, Ivanie Blondin, finished atop the chase pack and crossed the finish line in fifth position.

Things were a bit more straightforward in the men’s Mass Start, where Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu (Sherbrooke, Que.) crossed the line in bronze medal position (7:40.31), reaching the international podium in the distance for the first time since the World Championships in 2024. The Canadian, who was part of a six skater breakaway early on in the race, was narrowly edged out in the final sprint by Germany’s Felix Maly (7:40.17) and Dutch veteran Jorrit Bergsma (7:39.20).

“Honestly, I really didn’t anticipate being on the podium today, especially in a situation like this one. The Mass Start is a race where absolutely anything can happen. After having rejoined the pack following a breakout with Jake [Weidemann] and several other skaters, we felt like pack was just unconfident enough that we believed in ourselves. We demonstrated teamwork like I’ve rarely seen before, with each skater taking their turn leading without hesitation.

I was successful in conserving just enough energy to push at the righ moment, and that’s what allowed me to step on the podium. I am very proud of the confidence I was able to demonstrate in my own instinct. Breakouts happen in each race, and it’s always difficult to know which is the right one to chase. Coming out of this race with a medal, and having done it next to Jake right to the finish line, that makes it even more special.” 

Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu

Gélinas-Beaulieu’s teammate Jake Weidemann (Ottawa, Ont.), who took part in the Division B race earlier in the day, finished just off the podium in fourth place (7:40.35), one of the best results of his career.
 
The ISU World Cup Speed Skating season continues next weekend in Calgary, where the world’s top skaters will hit the ‘Fastest Ice in the World’ at the Olympic Oval from November 21-23. Racing will be live streamed on CBC Sports and Radio-Canada Sports digital platforms throughout the weekend, along with television coverage late Saturday afternoon.
 
Tickets are available for both die-hard and casual fans, with single-day General Admission tickets starting at $15 for kids and $20 for adults, while Premium Tickets can be purchased for only $40. Children under two years old are admitted free when seated on a parent or family member’s lap.
 
For more information on the ISU World Cup Speed Skating in Calgary, visit www.speedskating.ca/calgary2025.

Results

Team Pursuit

Women’s: 2nd

Men’s 8th (Division B)

Women’s Mass Start

Valérie Maltais: 2nd

Ivanie Blondin: 5th

Men’s Mass Start

Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu: 3rd

Jake Weidemann: 4th

Women’s 500m-2

Béatrice Lamarche: 9th

Carolina Hiller-Donnelly: 3rd (Division B)

Brooklyn McDougall: 4th (Division B)

Jenna Larter: 8th (Division B)

Men’s 500m-2

Laurent Dubreuil: 11th

Cédrick Brunet: 12th

Christopher Fiola: 3rd (Division B)

Anders Johnson: 7th (Division B)