Canada strikes gold again in women’s team pursuit, climbs to 12 medals at Olympics

Team Canada is led by Isabelle Weidemann, followed by Valerie Maltais, center, and Ivanie Blondin, left, as they compete in the women's team pursuit quarterfinals speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

MILAN -- Canada’s speedskaters won their second straight gold medal in the women’s team pursuit on Tuesday, successfully defending their 2022 Beijing Olympic title with a come-from-behind victory at the Milan Cortina Games.

Valerie Maltais, Ivanie Blondin and Isabelle Weidemann defeated the Netherlands in the final to top the podium for the second straight Games.

“I did feel we were skating really powerfully, we were together the whole time,” Weidemann said. “We were executing really well. When we had two laps to go, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, this is a good one.”’

The win marks the first time since 2010 that a country has earned the top spot at back-to-back Olympics. The Canadians trailed the Dutch early, but surged into the lead in the back half of the race and won in two minutes 55.81 seconds.

Blondin said coming into the race as defending champions was “an honour.”

“It’s the same team, there’s some sense every single time we go to the line that we’re calm, collected and one unit,” she said. “That’s very powerful. It gives us a lot of confidence going into every single race.”

It was Canada’s 12th medal at the game, and third gold. It’s also a fourth career medal for Maltais, and her second at these Games, after a bronze in the 3,000 metres. Weidemann also has four medals, after winning three in Beijing, while Blondin now has three, including two golds.

Canada held practice ahead of its men’s hockey quarterfinal, with forwards Nathan MacKinnon and Sam Bennett absent for what head coach Jon Cooper called “maintenance.”

MacKinnon took a forearm to the jaw in Sunday’s 10-2 win over France and was also on the receiving end of a knee-on-knee hit late in the game.

Cooper said there is “no panic” ahead of Wednesday’s elimination game against Czechia.

“He’s a bull,” Cooper said Tuesday of a player he’s put with Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini to create an ultra-talented line partway through the last two contests. “To have that much power, strength and skill all packaged in one, it’s a rarity.

“But he’s a gamer, that kid.”

Defenceman Josh Morrissey was a full participant after missing two games, while veteran forward Brad Marchand is available after sitting out the final two preliminary contests.

Canada’s Rachel Homan defeated Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg 8-6 on Tuesday afternoon in women’s curling round-robin play in Cortina.

Canada, which snapped out of a three-game losing skid with a pair of wins Monday, improved to 4-3 with two games remaining.

“Every game here is huge for us. We have to keep playing our game and keep staying within ourselves,” said Homan.

Snow and poor visibility in the Italian Alps forced Milan Cortina organizers to postpone the women’s snowboard slopestyle final and freestyle aerials qualification in Livigno.

Laurie Blouin and Juliette Pelchat will have to wait an extra day for the women’s slopestyle final after it was postponed from Tuesday to Wednesday. Blouin, the 2018 Olympic silver medallist, is chasing another podium, while Pelchat advanced in her Olympic debut.

The women’s and men’s aerial qualifying sessions were also delayed and are now set for Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, with both finals Thursday.

Figure skater Madeline Schizas returns to the ice for the women’s singles short program after helping Canada to fourth in the team event and will look to improve on her 18th-place finish at the 2022 Beijing Games.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 17, 2026.