Valérie Maltais Secures Bronze in Women’s 1500m at Milano Cortina 2026

Valérie Maltais of La Baie, Quebec, added to her impressive medal count at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, securing a bronze medal in the women’s 1,500-metre speed skating event on Friday. This marks her third medal of the Games, following a gold in team pursuit and a bronze in the 3,000-metre race.

A Surprising Bronze

Maltais clocked a time of one minute 54.70 seconds to claim the bronze, narrowly edging out retiring American speed skater Brittany Bowe. The victory came in the 10th of 15 pairings at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium. Before the final pairing, Maltais was exchanging texts with her husband, anticipating a bronze or fourth-place finish.

Strong Performance and a Bit of Luck

“I knew that my last lap I skated strong, and this is why I won [my pairing over Belgian athlete Isabelle van Elst],” Maltais told CBC Sports. “My heart was pumping out of my chest. Is [my bronze position] going to hold? I told my coach, ‘I don’t think it’s going to hold.’”

her time held, beating Bowe by 3-10ths of a second. “I was waiting with Ragne and was like, ‘Man, it’s a surprise.’ I think I skated strong, a solid race on the big stage,” Maltais said.

Fifth Olympic Medal

With this latest addition, Valérie Maltais now has five Olympic medals – four in long track speed skating – placing her among Canada’s most decorated speed skaters, alongside Cindy Klassen, Kristina Groves, and Clara Hughes.

Dutch Dominance Continues

Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong of the Netherlands won gold in a time of 1:54.09, securing her first Olympic gold medal. Ragne Wiklund of Norway took silver with a time of 1:54.15. The Netherlands has now won the women’s 1,500m event at five consecutive Olympic Games, dating back to 2010.

Other Canadian Results

Ivanie Blondin of Ottawa finished eighth in 1:54.93, while Béatrice Lamarche of Quebec City placed 17th with a time of 1:57.65.

Sources: CBC Sports, Olympic.ca