SALT LAKE CITY - Canada's Valérie Maltais claimed silver in the women’s 3,000 metres, while Béatrice Lamarche won bronze in the women's 1,000 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.

“I’m very happy with my race and with the way that I prepared today," Maltais said. "I had a really good summer of training, and I knew I was capable of good performances. The objective was to start the season off strong, but you never know where you stand.

"The girls on the international stage are really strong in the 3,000, so I just wanted to show up ready and have the best race possible today."

The 35

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