Gold glory for Olympic speedskater Isabelle Weidemann, who has strong ties to Calgary

Canadian speedskater Isabelle Weidemann took home her third medal at the Beijing Games on day 11, as her family and friends cheered her on from their home in Calgary.

This is the Ottawa-born and Calgary-resident’s third medal at this year’s Olympics.

She has strong ties to Calgary, where her family moved nearly a decade ago, and had trained at the Olympic Oval for much of her athletic career.

The 26-year-old took home gold alongside Ivanie Blondin and Valerie Maltais in the women’s team pursuit, beating out Japan to reach the top of the podium.

“We’ve watched team Japan for so long. They are a force, they have been dominant for so long. They have taken it to a new level, we have constantly been chasing them,” said Weidemann following the victory.

The trio set an Olympic record time of two minutes 53.44 seconds, after Japan’s Nana Takagi crashed on the final turn.

“It’s always sad to see another team fall, they have found so well all season,” said Weidemann.

Weidemann also won silver in the 5,000 meters and bronze in the 3,000 and is the second Canadian long-track speedskater to ever win more than two medals at a single Games.

Cindy Klassen won five medals in Turin, Italy in 2006.

- With files from The Canadian Press