(Calgary) After an Olympic cycle chasing after the Japanese and Dutch, the Canadians are now the team to beat in pursuit by virtue of their gold medal at the Beijing Games last winter.
Valérie Maltais, Ivanie Blondin and Isabelle Weidemann are living up to this new status. After a victory in Stavanger at the start of the calendar, the Canadian trio doubled the lead on Saturday at the World Cup in Calgary.
A little rusty in Norway, the three skaters composed a much more harmonious ballet to largely dominate the rest of the field.
Maltais, Blondin and Weidemann completed the six laps in 2:54.49, edging the Japanese and Americans, silver and bronze medalists respectively, by more than three seconds.
“We were really fluid today”, rejoiced Weidemann, who had found a smile after his disappointment the day before in the 3000m (11e) who had “angry” her.
“We were fluid from the start. We were also all together, which had gotten us into trouble in Norway. I was thrown out the back. It was fairly regular. We hadn’t skated together for a while and we’re still trying to adjust things this year, but it’s getting more and more fluid and powerful. »
Blondin, who now trains with a male group in Calgary, loves to deal with the label of favorites.
It’s the fun to be the team to beat. In recent years, it was rather the Japanese team. It’s a nice feeling for the three of us to have that confidence going into a race. We like to focus on what we have to do to win and not worry about others. It is to our advantage.
Ivanie Blondin
Maltais reiterated that the ice in Calgary, where she trained for four years before moving to Quebec last summer, seemed slower to her.
“We would have loved to have the conditions to break the world record, as we mentioned earlier. But that’s how it is and that will come later. We felt like home here. »
With a renewed squad, the Japanese continue to favor a no-trades strategy. Led by Quebec coach Gabriel Girard, the Americans returned to the podium for the first time since the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, where they had beaten Canada for bronze.
“It was bittersweet the way it went during the semi-finals and the finals,” recalled Blondin, who declined to elaborate.
In all likelihood, the United States had slowed down in their semi-final against the Netherlands before beating Canada by 45 hundredths. “It’s a new team, let’s not go back there,” pleaded Blondin, sixth in the 1,500m earlier in the day.
A personal record for Lamarche
PHOTO JACQUES BOISSINOT, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Béatrice Lamarche, last Sunday in Quebec
In the same event, Béatrice Lamarche took 14e rank, achieving a personal best by 1 hundredth (1 min 56.96).
“Yes, I wanted to do a personal best, but we also saw that these were not the fastest conditions, explained the skater from Quebec. So I’m really happy to equal my best time. There are few girls who have succeeded in this today.
Lamarche was delighted with his execution, “especially after the 3000 m the day before which had been torture for [son] body “.
“It may not have seemed, but I still had good legs until the end! I felt great. When my coach told me to move, I was able to do it. »