As Canada’s women’s team pursuit skaters powered to gold, Isabelle Weidemann’s parents were doing their own endurance event in the stands — screaming themselves hoarse watching their daughter go for the gold.
A now-viral Instagram video shows the Olympic champion sitting on a sofa between her mom and dad, laughing as she watches her parents’ excited reaction in real time. Her mom, waving a large Canadian flag with two miniature flags bobbing from her headpiece, waving wildly as her daughter and teammates surge past rivals to defend their Olympic title.
“I am so sorry,” her mom says in the clip, her voice nearly gone. “Everyone loves you,” Weidemann reassures her, grinning. “I’m really surprised you can talk today. You’re a Canadian icon.”
Weidemann is seen shaking from laughter as she watches her mom practically levitate in the stands while she crosses the finish line.
The heartwarming exchange followed Canada’s gold-medal performance Tuesday in the women’s team pursuit, where Weidemann, Ivanie Blondin and Valérie Maltais clocked 2:55.81 to defend the title they won at the 2022 Games.
Initially falling behind in the gold-medal race with the Netherlands, the Canadians got their engine warmed up and took the lead with two laps to go. They never looked back from there as the Dutch began to fade and Canada only grew stronger.
The Netherlands took silver while Japan earned bronze.
The trio also received a call from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, whose delighted reaction to their gold medal was caught on video.
“This is what I won this year,” the PM joked, holding up a lawn bowling trophy. “But you guys? You nailed it,” he added, beaming like a proud father.
The comeback victory capped a dominant showing for the Canadian trio, who outpaced both teams in the final laps before crossing the line in celebration. But it was the family reaction that is capturing the hearts of Canadians here on home soil.
The moment didn’t just light up the Olympic oval, it had social media buzzing.
Fans couldn’t get enough of Weidemann’s parents losing their voices in the stands, flooding the internet with comments like, “Canada’s mom right there!” and “I can’t stop laughing, this is everything!”
Instagram users loved the mix of laughter and heart of parents being proud of their daughter, celebrating not just her gold-medal win, but the pure, unfiltered joy of a family cheering their daughter across the finish line.
One parent quipped this gave them permission to up the ante at their son’s games.
Instagram comment under Isabelle Weidemann’s gold medal win reaction video. (Image screen grab: @vanfrieken/Instagram)
Another social media user dove into the comment section and shared it was her favourite parent moment from the entire Olympics.
Instagram comment under Isabelle Weidemann’s gold medal win reaction video. (Image screen grab: @shellcald/Instagram)
This Canadian got right to the point. “Canada’s mom right there!”
Instagram comment under Isabelle Weidemann’s gold medal win reaction video. (Image screen grab: @authormeganmcspadden/Instagram)
Canadian grocery giant even entered the chat saying the gold medalist’s parents deserve a medal.
Instagram comment under Isabelle Weidemann’s gold medal win reaction video. (Image screen grab: @sobeys/Instagram)
Weidemann’s gold isn’t just a win on the ice. It’s the laughs, the screams and the flags waving like crazy behind her that make it unforgettable. This viral family moment shows that behind every medal there is pride, joy and a tiny bit of chaos, a perfect reminder of why we love the Olympics.