Isabelle Weidemann aiming for third medal at Beijing 2022

Isabelle Weidemann has her sights on a hat-trick of medals at Beijing 2022.

The speed skater is the only Team Canada athlete to have twice made the podium at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games after winning silver in the 5000m and bronze over 3000m.

Weidemann will take to the ice once more at the National Speed Skating Oval on Tuesday (15 February) just after 14:30 local time (01:30 EST) when Canada compete in the semi-finals of the women's team pursuit.

If the team of Weidemann, Alexa Scott, Valerie Maltais and Ivanie Blondin beat Netherlands in the second semi-final, they will meet the winners of ROC and Japan.

Defeat would see them go into the B Final with bronze at stake. That is at 16:22 (03:22 EST) local time followed immediately by the A Final for gold.

Weidemann is competing at her second Olympic Winter Games following her debut at PyeongChang 2018.

She was fourth in the women's team pursuit four years ago as well as claiming sixth and seventh-place finishes in the individual events.

The 26-year-old was a member of the Canada pursuit team that came second at the 2021 World Championships in Heerenveen, Netherlands, a year after they took bronze at Salt Lake City.

Her 3000m bronze was Canada's first of the Games.

She told Olympics.com: "It’s very special. It’s pretty surreal right now and I’m very overwhelmed with emotion.

"I am very excited and just so proud."

Then she went one better in the 5000m with Dutchwoman Irene Schouten taking gold on each occasion.

Weidemann's training was doubly affected over the past couple of years because of Covid-19 and 10 months without ice at the Oval in Calgary where she is based.

However, it made her step back and assess her training methods which ultimately led to a different