Valérie Maltais, a Canadian long-track speed skater, secured her third individual medal of the season on Saturday, earning bronze in the women’s 3000m event at the ISU Speed Skating World Cup held in Inzell, Germany.
The 35-year-old finished the race in three minutes and 59.920 seconds, narrowly surpassing Kazakhstan’s Nadezhda Morozova, who clocked in at 4:00.198, to claim the last podium position.
Norwegian skater Ragne Wiklund dominated the competition, setting a new track record and achieving a personal best time of 3:54.74 to win the gold medal. Joy Beune from the Netherlands took home the silver with a time of 3:56.960.
“I’m pleased with how I performed today. It was a very consistent race, and I felt like I skated well,” Maltais remarked. “I was aware that Ragne would start off strong, so we focused on that aspect in my race strategy.”
“I’m beginning my recovery phase following a productive training camp in Spain, so this result is encouraging, especially since I haven’t yet reached my peak. It’s definitely a positive outcome as I prepare for the Olympics.”
Maltais has now achieved a total of five World Cup podium finishes in individual events, all in the 3000m distance. Earlier this season, she marked her best World Cup performance in Salt Lake City, U.S., where she secured second place ahead of Wiklund during the November competition.
Hailing from Saguenay, Quebec, she qualified for her fifth Olympic Games earlier this winter. The women’s 3000m event is scheduled for February 7.