SALT LAKE CITY — Canada’s Valérie Maltais claimed silver in the women’s 3,000 metres at the season-opening speedskating World Cup event Friday.

Maltais crossed the finish line in three minutes 56.53 seconds, setting a personal-best. Joy Beune of the Netherlands captured gold in 3:53.698 and Ragne Wiklund took bronze in 3:57.19

The 35-year-old Maltais, from Saguenay, Que., won a team pursuit gold in Olympic-record time alongside Ivanie Blondin and Isabelle Weidemann at the 2022 Winter Games.

She also competed for Canada as a short-track speedskater in the 2010, 2014 and 2018 Olympics, winning silver at the Sochi 2014 Games in the 3,000 team relay.

Weidemann, of Ottawa, finished fifth while Blondin, also of Ottawa, placed eighth in the 3,000 on Friday. Calgary’s Laura Hall was 13th.

The

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