Orléans native
Isabelle Weidemann is making her mark on the international
speed skating circuit this season.
After the first
four World Cup events, the former Gloucester Concordes member
sits on top of the World Cup long distance standings with
one first place finish and two second place results including
a silver medal performance in Heerenveen, Netherlands on
the weekend.
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Orléans
native Isabelle Weidemann has moved into first
place in the World Cup long distance standings
after placing second in the 3,000 metres in
Heerenveen, Netherlands on the weekend. SPEED
SKATING CANADA PHOTO
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Weidemann started
the season with a ninth place finish in the 3,000 metres
in Obihiro, Japan. Since then, she has been the most consistent
skater in the world over 3,000 and 5,000 metres. She won
gold outdoors in the 3,000 in Tomakomai, Japan, a week later,
which was her first World Cup medal of any colour, and then
she placed second in the 5,000 metres in Tomasz�w Mazowiecki,
Poland, just a week ago.
Despite winning
silver and gold in the first three events of the year, Weidemann
still sat in second place in the World Cup standings, trailing
Esmee Visser of the Netherlands by three points.
As fortune would
have it, Visser placed fourth in Heerenveen on the weekend,
a half second behind Weidemann and less than three-tenths
of a second behind the third place finisher, Martina S�bl�kov�
from the Czech Republic.
The difference
in the final results leap-frogged Weidemann over her Dutch
rival and into first place in the World Cup standings where
she now has an eight-point lead with two events left to
go on the World Cup calendar.
Fellow Orléans
native and Gloucester Concordes alum Ivanie Blondin occupies
the fifth place spot. The pair have also won a silver and
bronze medal skating with Keri Morrison in the team pursuit
Blondin also claimed the bronze medal in the mass start
event in Tomakomai.
Weidemann is
a relative newcomer to the national senior team. The 23-year-old
made the jump from the junior squad in the fall of 2015.
She was ranked 16th in the world in the 3,000 metres in
2016 and 15th in the world at the end of the 2016-2017 campaign.
In four World
Cup events last year, her best result was a fourth place
finish in the 5,000 metres in Stavenger, Norway. She also
had a pair of ninth place finishes and a seventh place result
over 3,000 metres.
After qualifying
for the Winter Olympics last year, she finished sixth in
the 5,000 metres and seventh in the 3,000 in Pyongchang,
Korea. By year's end, her ranking in the 3,000 metres had
improved to 10th.
After a productive
training camp, Weidemann came to the Speed Skating Canada's
World Cup selection meet in October stronger and quicker
than ever. The result was a pair of personal best results
in the 3,000 and 5,000. She lowered her PB in the 3,000
with her silver medal skate in Heerenveen.
The next World
Cup event will take place in Norway at the end of January,
followed by the World Single Distance Championships in Germany
on Feb. 6-9 and the World Cup Final in Salt Lake City on
March 8-9.
(This story
was made possible thanks to the generous support of our
local business partners.)
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