Canada’s Howe, Weidemann earn speedskating medals on first day of season 

From left, second placed Irene Schouten from the Netherlands, the winner Ragne Wiklund from Norway, and third placed Isabelle Weidemann from Canada, on the podium after the women's World Cup 3000 meters ice skating event in Stavanger, Norway, Friday, Nov. 11, 2022. (Jan KÃ¥re Ness/NTB Scanpix via AP)

STAVANGER, Norway — Canada’s Connor Howe earned silver and Isabelle Weidemann took bronze on Friday in the first day of international speedskating competition of the 2022-23 season.

Howe reached the podium in the men’s 1,500-metre race at the season-opening World Cup stop, and Weidemann got her medal in the women’s 3,000 metres.

Howe, from Canmore, Alta., won only the third individual World Cup medal of his career.

Racing in the penultimate pair, Howe finished in one minute 46.656 seconds.

Jordan Stolz of the United States won in 1:44.891 to set a new track record. China’s Zhongyan Ning crossed the line in 1:46.685 for bronze.

Weidemann, from Ottawa, finished in 4:05.460, placing behind Norway’s Ragne Wiklund (4:03.119) and Irene Schouten of the Netherlands (4:05.017).

Ivanie Blondin (seventh) and Valerie Maltais (ninth) also earned top ten results for Canada in the distance.

In the men’s team pursuit, Howe was joined by Winnipeg’s Tyson Langelaar and Antoine Gelinas-Beaulieu of Sherbrooke. Que., as the Canadians skated to a fifth-place finish.

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