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.

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

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.

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