At 35 years old, Valerie Maltais has put together a long and illustrious speed skating career. The five-time Olympian is one of Canada’s most accomplished speed skaters, boasting multiple World Cup and world championship medals. 

Maltais even joined a select group of skaters in 2022. With a gold medal in the team pursuit event at the 2022 Beijing Games, Maltais became just the fourth skater in history — and the first Canadian — to win an Olympic medal in both speed skating and short track. 

But heading into the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Games, there was one notable thing missing from Maltais’ résumé: an individual Olympic medal. 

“After 2022, I went into this phase where I told myself I would keep going only if I felt I could win an individual medal,” Maltais said. “I gave myself two years to really commit, to train hard and focus on the 3000m. Two years ago, I think I had one of my best individual seasons. After that, I had a discussion with my husband and said, ‘give me two more years.’ I felt I had it in me.” 

On the world’s biggest stage on Saturday at Milan Cortina, Maltais proved there is power in betting on yourself. Posting a final time of 3 minutes, 56.93 seconds in the 3000m, she matched the previous Olympic record. Maltais, though, was paired with Italy’s Francesca Lollobridiga. The eventual gold medal winner shattered the previous record (3:54.28) and cast doubts on Maltais’ medal aspirations. 

“I finished my race and thought 'is this going to be enough?'” she said. “I really did not know if it would be enough for the podium. The field has been so strong all season, and with the skaters coming after me in the final pairs, I honestly did not know.”

Maltais, who said she entered this Olympic cycle "believing I had a something a little more," was eventually declared the bronze medalist. In the aftermath, she reflected on an Olympic journey that began when she was just 19 years old at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

“My first individual medal after five Olympics, it’s something I’ve been training for,” she said, adding: “My motto has always been ‘everything is possible.’ I had a team around me who believed in me. To be honest, it is not easy at 35 years old to have people believing in you, making you better.” 

And yet, Maltais does. Leveraging that support system and unlocking new training methods, including spending less time on the ice and more time on the bike, Maltais arrived in northern Italy more confident than ever before.

“I did not want to come to these Games just to participate,” she said. “I wanted to show up at the next Olympics as a contender for medals. I showed up today ready. There was no stone unturned. I felt more ready than at any point in my career. I was ready to perform."

From breaking down in tears after learning of her 3rd place finish, to standing on the podium as Canada's first medalist at the 2026 Games, racing at Milan Cortina was well worth the wait for Maltais. 

"First, I felt dizzy,” Maltais said of the moment. “My legs were shaking a little bit. After the performance, everything goes so quickly. I tried as much as possible to take the moment in. It will sink in later. I looked into the stands and saw my family, my mental performance coach and the Canadian fans. I took a deep breath and enjoyed that moment."