Speed skating Olympians Weidemann, Maltais, Blondin headline Canada's long track team for Milan Cortina

Isabelle Weidemann is determined to repeat as Olympic champion with fellow Canadian speed skaters Ivanie Blondin and Valerie Maltais in women’s team pursuit, but the long track veteran isn’t simply seeking a medal from the experience in Milan Cortina.

While preparing for her third Winter Olympics, the 30-year-old is mindful of “new faces” dotting Canada’s roster of 15 athletes – eight women, seven men – looking to help the team improve on its five-medal haul four years ago in Beijing.

“I’ve changed a lot as an athlete and as a person these past four years,” Weidemann, from Ottawa, said in a statement released by Speed Skating Canada, which unveiled the Canadian team Thursday alongside the Canadian Olympic Committee. I’m approaching these Games with a veteran’s mindset.

“We’ve got a lot of new faces with a lot of energy, and I’m really proud to be part of this group.”

Weidemann, who was Canada’s flag-bearer for the closing ceremony at the 2022 Games in China after also earning individual silver and bronze, plans to take on more of a leadership role in Italy next month and “make sure the next generation of athletes feels supported."

Maltais, 35, is gearing up for her fifth Winter Games and second in long track after representing Canada on the short-track squad in 2010 (Vancouver), 2014 (Sochi, Russia) and 2018 (Pyeongchang, South Korea).

The native of La Baie, Que., said she gets “emotional” competing for her country and has many learned lessons on her Olympic journey since Vancouver.

“Representing Canada for the fifth time at the Olympic Games is not something I could have believed possible,” Maltais said. “I still feel excited, possibly more than before my first Games. I want to make the most of this, for myself