Isabelle Weidemann from Ottawa secured the silver medal in the women’s 5,000 meters during the latest World Cup speed skating event held in Heerenveen, Netherlands. Weidemann initially lagged behind in 10th place after the first five laps but made a strong comeback, ultimately finishing second on the 12th lap. She completed the race in six minutes and 50.11 seconds, just 1.10 seconds behind the gold medallist, Ragne Wiklund of Norway. Joy Beune from the Netherlands claimed the third spot with a time of 6:51.83.
Weidemann expressed her satisfaction with her performance, highlighting the challenge of finding the right pace during the race. She acknowledged the strong finish in the latter half of the competition, emphasizing the importance of maintaining sight of the leaders. This achievement marks her first individual distance podium of the season and her first since clinching the bronze in the 3,000 meters at a previous World Cup event in Beijing.
With 137 points, the 30-year-old skater currently ranks fourth in the long-distance standings, with one more World Cup event to go before the Milan Cortina Games commencing on February 6th. In the same competition, Ivanie Blondin from Ottawa finished 10th with a time of 7:01.76, while Valerie Maltais from La Baie, Que., secured the 12th position with a time of 7:06.69.
Additionally, on the same day, Canada’s Beatrice Lamarche from Quebec City placed sixth in the women’s 1,000 meters, clocking 1:15.13 and finishing 0.96 seconds behind the winner, Jutta Leerdam from the Netherlands. Lamarche, aged 27, currently holds the third position overall in the distance category after earning a bronze medal in Salt Lake City last month.
For those interested, the live coverage of the ongoing competition in Heerenveen can be watched on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem, with the action set to resume on Saturday at 8:15 a.m. ET. The complete streaming schedule is accessible through the provided link.