Canadian Olympic gold medalists Valerie Maltais of La Baie, Quebec and Steven Dubois of Laval, Quebec have been named the flag bearers for Canada in the closing ceremonies of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan/Cortina d’Ampezzo. Maltais won her gold medal in the women’s team pursuit short track speed skating event alongside Isabelle Weidemann and Ivanie Blondin of Ottawa, Ontario. Dubois won his gold medal in the men’s 500 metre short track speed skating event.
Alongside winning Olympic gold in the women’s team pursuit, Maltais won two individual bronze medals a the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan/Cortina d’Ampezzo. She played third in the women’s 1500 metres and women’s 3000 metres. Dubois also won a silver medal in the mixed 2000 metre short track speed skating relay as he participated in the semifinals leading up to the finals.
Prior to the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, Maltais won two other Olympic medals. She won the silver medal in the women’s 3000 metre short track speed skating relay at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi and the gold medal in the women’s team pursuit at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. Dubois won three medals at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing–gold in the men’s 3000 metre short track speed skating relay, silver in the men’s 1500 metre short track speed skating, and bronze in the men’s 500 metre short track speed skating.