There was a Canadian expected to win a medal in a 1500 metre Olympic event on Friday. It was just supposed to be from Courtney Sarault of Moncton, New Brunswick in the women’s 1500 metre short track speed skating (who fell in the semifinal). What we saw from Valerie Maltais of La Baie, Quebec was unexpected to say the least in the women’s 1500 metre speed skating.
Maltais has never earned a medal before in the women’s 1500 metres. Already a medalist for Canada at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan in the women’s 3000 metre event (bronze) and women’s team pursuit (gold), Maltais posted a third place time of 1:54.40. Antoinette Rjpma de-Jong of the Netherlands won the gold medal with a time of 1:54.9, and Ragne Wiklund of Norway won the silver medal with a time of 1:54.15. Maltais reached the podium by three tenths of a second. Brittany Bowe of the United States had a fourth place time of 1:54.70.
Anyway you look at it, Maltais’s speed skating career (both in long track and short track) has been miraculous. She previously won a silver medal in the women’s 3000 metre short track speed skating relay at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, and then won gold in the women’s team pursuit in long track speed skating at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.
This was Canada’s 16th medal at the Olympic Winter Games. They have won four gold medals, five silver medals, and seven bronze medals.
