Canada's Maltais claims bronze in 3,000m at speed skating World Cup in Salt Lake City

Canadian long track speed skater Valérie Maltais continued her strong season with a bronze medal in the women's 3,000 metres at the World Cup in Salt Lake City on Friday.

The 33-year-old from La Baie, Que., reached the podium with a time of three minutes 59.71 seconds on the opening day of competition at the Utah Olympic Oval. Joy Beune of the Netherlands won gold in a personal-best 3:56.86, one spot ahead of fellow Dutch skater Irene Schouten (3:58.20).

Maltais took home a pair of gold medals on the same ice last week at the Four Continents Championships, in the 3,000m and the women's team pursuit alongside Olympic champion teammates Ivanie Blondin and Isabelle Weidemann. Canada's skaters won 12 medals in total.

Ottawa's Blondin finished just under two seconds behind Maltais for seventh place in 4:01.55 on Friday, while Laura Hall of Salmon Arm, B.C., was 13th with a personal-best time of 4:08.12.

WATCH l Maltais skates to World Cup bronze in 3,000m:

American phenom Jordan Stolz etched his name in the record books earlier in the day, setting the world record in the men's 1,000m.

The 19-year-old clocked 1:05.37 to beat the previous mark of 1:05.69 set by Pavel Kulizhnikov of Russia in 2020 at the same venue. China's Ning Zhongyan claimed silver in 1:06.97, followed by Italy's David Bosa (1:07.06).

Howe, who won gold last week in the 1,500m, also finished 12th in the men's mass start on Friday with a time of 7:58.20 and one sprint point.

Fellow Olympian Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu of Sherbrooke, Que., placed 19th in 8:25.37.

Maddison Pearman, from Ponoka, Alta., and Blondin finished 18th and 20th, respectively, in the women's 1,000m.

The three-day World Cup meet continues Saturday at 2 p.m. ET, with live coverage on CBC