Canadian Olympic long track speed skating team announced for Milano Cortina 2026
CALGARY (January 15, 2026) – Speed Skating Canada (SSC) and the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) have announced the roster of Team Canada long track speed skating athletes selected to compete at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
Canada earned Olympic athlete and distance quota spots based on results and rankings following the four ISU World Cup Speed Skating events held this past November and December, qualifying a total of eight women and seven men. A Canadian skater ranked in the top 8 of an individual distance following the World Cup stops was pre-qualified for that distance at Games. The remaining distance quota spots were filled based on results at the Olympic Skate-Off, a last chance qualifier hosted January 3-6 at the Centre de glace Intact Assurance in Quebec City.
Women
Ivanie Blondin (Ottawa, Ont.)
Laura Hall (Salmon Arm, B.C.)
Carolina Hiller-Donnelly (Prince George, B.C.)
Rose Laliberté-Roy (Saint-Étienne-de-Lauzon, Que.)
Béatrice Lamarche (Quebec City, Que.)
Valérie Maltais (La Baie, Que.)
Brooklyn McDougall (Calgary, Alta.)
Isabelle Weidemann (Ottawa, Ont.)
Men
Ted-Jan Bloemen (Calgary, Alta.)
Cédrick Brunet (Gatineau, Que.)
Laurent Dubreuil (Lévis, Que.)
Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu (Sherbrooke, Que.)
Daniel Hall (Salmon Arm, B.C.)
Anders Johnson (Calgary, Alta.)
David La Rue (Saint-Lambert, Que.)
The trio of Isabelle Weidemann, Ivanie Blondin and Valérie Maltais will be looking to defend their Olympic title in the women’s team pursuit at Milano Cortina 2026. In addition to teaming up for that memorable victory at Beijing 2022, Weidemann also won silver in the women’s 5000m and bronze in the women’s 3000m, while Blondin added a silver medal in the women’s mass start. The three veteran skaters have combined to win eight individual distance World Cup medals so far this season (1 gold, 4 silver, 3 bronze), while also reaching the podium three times in the team pursuit, winning one gold and two silver.
“I am super excited for these Games and of the team that we are taking. We’ve got a lot of new faces, with a lot of young energy, and I’m really proud to be a part of this group,” said Weidemann, who was selected as Team Canada’s Closing Ceremony flag bearer at Beijing 2022. “I’ve changed a lot as an athlete and as a person these past four years. I’m approaching these Games with a veteran’s mindset. I want to take on more of a mentorship role and make sure the next generation of athletes coming up feels supported.”
“Representing Canada for the fifth time at the Olympic Games is not something I could have believed possible for me. I learned so much on my journey since my first Games in Vancouver. Now I have experience and a past, but each Games are unique, so I still feel excited, possibly more than before my first Games since I want to make sure to make the most of this, for myself and with Team Canada,” added Maltais, who will be competing at her second Olympic Games as a long track speed skater in Italy. “I am looking forward to join the Canadian Olympic family, to meet with other athletes and represent my country. It’s something I am really proud of and that makes me emotional.”
Brooklyn McDougall will compete in her second Games this February, while Béatrice Lamarche, who captured her first career World Cup medal earlier this season in Salt Lake City, leads a group of four Olympic rookies that also includes sprinters Rose Laliberté-Roy and Carolina Hillier-Donnelly, as well as long distance specialist Laura Hall.
Leading the men’s team are Olympic medallists Ted-Jan Bloemen and Laurent Dubreuil.
Bloemen reached the Olympic podium twice at PyeongChang 2018, winning gold in the men’s 10,000m and silver in the men’s 5000m. The 39-year-old former world record holder is the lone Canadian man to reach the World Cup podium this season, earning silver in the 5000m this past November in Salt Lake City.
Dubreuil, meanwhile, has earned over 50 career World Cup medals in his career, cementing his place among Canada’s most successful male speed skaters. At Beijing 2022, the now 33-year-old Lévis native overcame a heartbreaking fourth-place finish in the men’s 500m, a distance in which he was the reigning World Champion, with a surprising silver medal skate only a few short days later in the men’s 1000m.
“I am very happy to have qualified for my third Olympic Games,” says Dubreuil who has reached the World Championship podium six times in an individual distance since 2015. “It is a long four-year process and while we don’t think much about it when it starts, we do commit for a new quad and think about the next Games. I still feel on top of the game and I still believe in my chances, but beyond the medals, I want to offer my best race ever and we’ll see where that leads me.”
Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu, who won bronze in the first men’s mass start World Cup race this season, returns to the Olympic stage after making his debut at Beijing 2022. Sprinters Cédrick Brunet and Anders Johnson, as well as middle-distance skaters David La Rue and Daniel Hall, will make their respective Olympic debuts in Milan.
“‘It’s tough to put words on all the feelings I’ve experienced these last few days, but it’s certainly one of the most impactful moments of my life,” said La Rue who secured his Olympic spot in the 1500m during the Olympic-Skate Off. “Qualifying for the Olympic Games in Quebec City, in front of my family and friends, people who were really involved in my athletic journey, makes it even more memorable. I experienced lots of adversity, injuries and the cancellation of the Olympic Trials in 2022. This makes me extremely proud of having persevered and pressed through all of that.”
The team includes five athletes who have Olympian parents. Siblings Laura and Daniel Hall are following their father Mike’s footsteps, who represented Canada in speed skating at Lillehammer 1994, while Lamarche’s father Benoît competed in speed skating at Sarajevo 1984 and Calgary 1988. Dubreuil is the son of two Olympian parents – father Robert who competed in speed skating at Albertville 1992, and mother Ariane Loignon who competed in speed skating at Calgary 1988. Brunet is the son of ice dancer Michel Brunet, who competed at Nagano 1998.
Canadian long track speed skaters have won 42 Olympic medals, the country’s greatest total in any winter sport. The sport has been included at every Olympic Winter Games dating back to the first edition at Chamonix 1924. Long track speed skating will take place from February 7 to 21 (Days 1 to 15) at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium in Milan.
“It’s a true honour as Chef de Mission to welcome these incredible long track speed skaters to Team Canada,” said Jennifer Heil, Team Canada’s Chef de Mission. “These athletes combine explosive speed, precise technique, and mental toughness, allowing them to dominate every stride on the international long track rink. Soak in every moment, feel the adrenaline, and make the most of this Olympic experience as you will continue to shine in Italy.”
Coaches
William Dutton (Humboldt, Sask.) – Coach
Remmelt Eldering (Noardburgum, Netherlands) – Coach
Gregor Jelonek (Saint-Antoine-de-Tilly, Que.) – Coach
Muncef Ouardi (Quebec City, Que.) – Coach
Xiuli Wang (Harbin, China) – Coach
Support Staff
Alain Brouillette (Sudbury, Ont.) – Media Attaché
Sara-Emmanuelle Côté (Quebec City, Que.) – Massage Therapist
Reece Derraugh (Winnipeg, Man.) – Equipment Technician
Bastien Garon (Dégelis, Que.) – Physiotherapist
Miriam Lewis (King’s Cove, N.L.) – Physiotherapist
Scott Maw (Barrie, Ont.) – Integrated Support Team Lead
Tyler Mulcock (Ottawa, Ont.) – Team Leader
Simon Nathan (Stonehouse, England) – High Performance Director
Dave Paskevich (Calgary, Alta.) – Mental Performance Consultant
Prior to being named to Team Canada, all nominations are subject to approval by the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Team Selection Committee following receipt of nominations by all National Sport Organizations.
The latest Team Canada roster can be found here and the qualification tracker can be found here.
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Alain Brouillette, Manager, Marketing and Communications
Speed Skating Canada
C: 613-601-2630
E: abrouillette@speedskating.ca
Tara MacBournie, Team Canada Milano Cortina 2026 Sport Communications Lead
Canadian Olympic Committee
C: 647-522-8328
E: tmacbournie@olympic.ca