Isabelle Weidemann of Ottawa, Ontario has won Canada’s first medal of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. On Saturday, Weidemann claimed the bronze medal in the women’s 3000 metres.
Weidemann posted a time of 3:58.64. She was one of only three speed skaters in the women’s 3000 metres that skated to a time of under four minutes as Irene Schouten of the Netherlands won the gold medal with a time of 3:56.93 in an Olympic record time. Francesca Lollobrigida of Italy won the silver medal with a time of 3:58.06.
Weidemann earned an Olympic medal by 1.7 seconds over Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic. Sablikova finished in fourth place with a time of 4:00.34.
The previous Olympic record in the women’s 3000 metres belonged to Claudia Pechstein of Germany, who had a time of 3:57.70 at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Pechstein competed in the women’s 3000 metres at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing at the age of 49, and had a time of 4:17.16, in 20th place. The world record holder is Sablikova, as she had a time of 3:52.02 at the 2019 World All-Around Speed Skating Championships in Salt Lake.
Weidemann has a chance for three medals for Canada. The other two chances will come in the women’s 5000 metres on February 10 at 5 a.m. MT and the women’s team pursuit on February 15 at 1:28 a.m. MT.
