Print the Biography/Short

Valérie Maltais

Canada

SportSpeed Skating
FederationIDSSCAN20407199001
NOCCanada
Born04 Jul 1990 in  La Baie
GenderWomen
ResidenceQuebec, QC, CAN
OccupationAthlete, Student
LanguagesEnglish, French
Higher educationDietics - TELUQ University: Canada
FamilyPartner Jordan Belchos
Personal Bests
EventRecordDateLocation 
Personal Bests
  Event RecordDateLocation 
    500m 39.36 09 Mar 2024 Inzell  
    1000m 1:14.95 15 Oct 2021 Calgary  
    1500m 1:54.08 27 Jan 2024 Salt Lake City, UT  
    3000m 3:59.22 03 Dec 2021 Salt Lake City, UT  
    5000m 7:00.59 16 Dec 2022 Calgary  
Main Achievements
 
Main Achievements
Olympic Games
Event  
Olympic Games
    Team Pursuit 6 Laps 1      
World Single Distances Championships
Event  
World Single Distances Championships
    Team Pursuit 6 Laps 1 2 1  
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Name of coachGregor Jelonek [national], CAN  
When and where did you begin this sport?She took up short track in 1996 in Saguenay, QC, Canada. She competed in the sport for 22 years before switching to speed skating in 2018 in Calgary, AB, Canada.  
General Interest
General Interest
Awards and honoursIn 2022 an ice rink was named after her at the Jean-Claude Tremblay Sports Complex in La Baie, QC, Canada. (lanouvelliste.ca, 16 Jun 2022)

In 2012 and 2014 she was named Female Short Track Skater of the Year by Speed Skating Canada . (speedskating.ca, 01 Jan 2017)
 
Sporting philosophy / motto"Everything happens for a reason." (Athlete, 14 Nov 2019)  
Most influential person in careerHer mother, and Dutch speed skater Remmelt Eldering. (Athlete, 13 Feb 2023)  
Social Media
Social Media
www.facebook.com/valemaltais2  
General Interest
General Interest
Other sportsShe represented Canada in short track at the Olympic Winter Games in 2010, 2014, and 2018, winning silver in the 3000m relay at the 2014 Games in Sochi. She has also competed in roller speed skating, finishing seventh in both the 10,000m points competition and the 500m sprint at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, ON, Canada. (SportsDeskOnline, 20 Mar 2019)  
NicknamesVale (olympic.ca, 05 Jun 2015)  
InjuriesIn August 2017 she had to withdraw from the Canadian trials for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games after suffering concussion in a fall during her 500m semifinal. (cbc.ca, 19 Aug 2017)

She was unable to train fully from the middle of 2016 to December that year due to adductor tendinitis and a hip problem. (olympic.ca, 20 Aug 2017)

She has experienced ankle problems since the beginning of her career. (Athlete, 08 Nov 2017)
 
Famous relativesHer partner Jordan Belchos has represented Canada in speed skating, and competed at the Olympic Winter Games in 2018 and 2022. He is also a roller speed skater and won bronze in the 10,000m points race at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, ON, Canada. (SportsDeskOnline, 14 Nov 2022; Instagram profile, 11 Oct 2021; journaldemontreal.com, 30 Aug 2017)  
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Club / TeamCPV La Baie: Canada  
General Interest
General Interest
Other informationSWITCHING SPORTS
In June 2018 she announced that she was changing from short track to speed skating. "I started out doing figure skating but I wasn't a dancer on ice, so I went into short track. Now I'm going to do long track. It's like I'm covering the whole Skating Union. I'm still in love with short track and I've seen the evolution of the sport. It is changing year after year, it is becoming bigger and that is very fun to see. But I've always wanted to try long track and now [2018] seems the appropriate time to move on. I'm still young and in good shape, which is the best time to try a new sport. I want to put 100% of my energy into it. It's something I feel I need to do, to make sure that I have no regrets in my career. When I moved to long track, team pursuit was the main event I wanted to be part of. I'd always done relay in short track and I love the team bonding." (plus.lapresse.ca, 21 Oct 2021; lequotidien.com, 05 Oct 2021; Facebook profile, 20 Feb 2021; thespec.com, 03 Mar 2020; isu.org, 05 Jun 2018)

FURTHER EDUCATION
She has studied for a multidisciplinary bachelor's degree in psychology, communication, philosophy, and human resources at Laval University in Canada. (Athlete, 13 Feb 2023; LinkedIn profile, 01 May 2022)
 
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Training RegimeShe trains for 57 hours a week.  
Social Media
Social Media
valeriemaltais.ca/  
General Interest
General Interest
Memorable sporting achievementWinning the short track women's 3000m relay with the Quebec team at the 2007 Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse, YT, Canada. (Athlete, 13 Feb 2023)  
MilestonesAlongside Isabelle Weidemann and Ivanie Blondin, she was part of the first Canadian team to win gold in women's team pursuit event at the Olympic Winter Games. The trio claimed victory at the 2022 Games in Beijing. (SportsDeskOnline, 16 Oct 2023; cbc.ca, 07 Dec 2022)

She is the first athlete representing Canada to have won Olympic medals in short track and speed skating. She claimed silver in the 3000m relay [short track] at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, and secured gold in team pursuit [speed skating] at the 2022 Games in Beijing. (SportsDeskOnline, 11 Nov 2022; olympic.ca, 15 Feb 2022)
 
HobbiesCycling, painting her Canadian national teammates' nails, making coffee, yoga, spending time with her cat. (Athlete, 13 Feb 2023)  
Superstitions / Rituals / BeliefsBefore competing she completes a stretching routine, watches videos of her cat, and does online shopping. (Athlete, 13 Feb 2023)  
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Reason for choosing this sport"Because swimming was too early in the morning – I like to sleep! Also, as a kid I was too skinny to play football."  
General Interest
General Interest
Hero / IdolCanadian speed skater Jordan Belchos, US basketball player Michael Jordan, Dutch speed skater Jutta Leerdam. (Athlete, 13 Feb 2023)  
Social Media
Social Media
twitter.com/valemaltais  
Championships results
Year Competition Event Rank  
Championships results
    2022/2023 Four Continents Championships Mass Start1  
    2023/2024 Four Continents Championships 3000m1  
    2022/2023 Four Continents Championships 3000m1  
    2022 Olympic Games Team Pursuit1  
    2022/2023 World Single Distances Championships Team Pursuit1  
    2023/2024 Four Continents Championships Team Pursuit1  
    2022/2023 Four Continents Championships Team Pursuit1  
    2023/2024 World Single Distances Championships Team Pursuit2  
    2020/2021 World Single Distances Championships Team Pursuit 6 Laps2  
    2019/2020 World Single Distances Championships Team Pursuit 6 Laps3  
    2018/2019 World Single Distances Championships Team Pursuit 6 Laps4  
    2022/2023 World Single Distances Championships 3000m5  
    2022 Olympic Games Mass Start6  
    2023/2024 World Single Distances Championships 5000m6  
    2019/2020 World Single Distances Championships Mass Start 16 Laps6  
    2020/2021 World Single Distances Championships 5000m7  
    2023/2024 World Allround Championships Allround8  
    2022/2023 World Single Distances Championships 5000m8  
    2020/2021 World Single Distances Championships 3000m8  
    2022/2023 World Single Distances Championships Mass Start8  
    2021/2022 World Allround Championships Allround10  
    2023/2024 World Single Distances Championships 1500m10  
    2023/2024 World Single Distances Championships 3000m10  
    2018/2019 World Single Distances Championships 3000m12  
    2019/2020 World Single Distances Championships 3000m12  
    2022 Olympic Games 3000m12  
    2020/2021 World Single Distances Championships 1500m13  
    2020/2021 World Single Distances Championships Mass Start 16 Laps14  
    2018/2019 World Single Distances Championships 1500m15  
    2023/2024 World Single Distances Championships Mass Start16  
    2019/2020 World Allround Championships Allround17  
    2018/2019 World Allround Championships Allround17  
    2018/2019 World Single Distances Championships Mass Start 16 Laps23  
World Cups
Year Competition Event Rank  
World Cups
    2023/2024 World Cup Classification Mass Start1  
    2020/2021 Heerenveen Team Pursuit 6 Laps1  
    2022/2023 Tomaszów Mazowiecki Team Pursuit1  
    2021/2022 Tomaszów Mazowiecki Team Pursuit1  
    2021/2022 Salt Lake City, UT Team Pursuit1  
    2020/2021 Heerenveen Team Pursuit 6 Laps1  
    2021/2022 Calgary, AB Team Pursuit1  
    2019/2020 Nur-Sultan Team Pursuit 6 Laps1  
    2022/2023 Calgary, AB Team Pursuit1  
    2023/2024 Salt Lake City, UT Team Pursuit1  
    2022/2023 Stavanger Team Pursuit1  
    2023/2024 Stavanger Mass Start2  
    2019/2020 Nagano Team Pursuit 6 Laps2  
    2023/2024 Tomaszów Mazowiecki Team Pursuit2  
    2023/2024 Obihiro Team Pursuit2  
    2022/2023 Tomaszów Mazowiecki Mass Start2  
    2023/2024 World Cup Classification 3000/5000m3  
    2023/2024 Salt Lake City, UT Mass Start3  
    2023/2024 Beijing Mass Start3  
    2019/2020 Tomaszów Mazowiecki Team Pursuit 6 Laps3  
    2023/2024 Quebec, QC 3000m3  
    2023/2024 Salt Lake City, UT 3000m3  
    2021/2022 World Cup Classification Mass Start5  
    2022/2023 World Cup Classification Mass Start6  
    2022/2023 World Cup Classification 3000/5000m6  
    2021/2022 World Cup Classification 3000/5000m7  
    2023/2024 World Cup Classification 1500m9  
    2021/2022 World Cup Classification 1000m11  
    2019/2020 World Cup Classification 3000/5000m13  
    2020/2021 World Cup Classification 1500m14  
    2020/2021 World Cup Classification 3000m14  
    2020/2021 World Cup Classification Mass Start 16 Laps16  
    2018/2019 World Cup Classification 3000/5000m19  
    2019/2020 World Cup Classification Mass Start 16 Laps20  
    2019/2020 World Cup Classification 1500m31  
    2021/2022 World Cup Classification 1500m31  
    2018/2019 World Cup Classification 1500m33  
    2022/2023 World Cup Classification 1500m43