BEIJING — Canada has won gold in the women's team pursuit competition at the Beijing Olympics.
Valerie Maltais, Ivanie Blondin and Isabelle Weidemann beat Japan in the long-track speedskating event at the Ice Ribbon.
Japan had a slight lead entering the final turn but one of the skaters went down on the final turn and crashed into the padding, allowing Canada to cruise to the win.
It's Weidemann's third medal at these Games. She won silver in the 5,000 metres and bronze in the 3,000.
The Canadians, who beat the Netherlands in the semifinal, finished in an Olympic record time of two minutes 53.44 seconds. Japan was 11.03 seconds behind.
In men's team pursuit, Canada finished fifth overall.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2022.
The Canadian Press
