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(Posted Dec. 18, 2018)
Weidemann
off to great start to speed skating season
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
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 Tomaszów 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 Sáblíková 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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