Jordan Stolz (USA) and Angel Daleman (NED) dominated last season’s ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships, each winning four individual gold medals. Stolz went on to win three World Single Distance titles at senior level the following month. And while the 19-year-old American is no longer eligible for the junior championships, Daleman, at 16, is. The Dutchwoman has three more chances for World Junior Championship glory, the first of which is this weekend in Hachinohe City, Japan.
The fifth instalment of the 2023/24 ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating takes place at the JOYNET Arena, Dresden, Germany from February 9-11.
Metoděj Jílek (CZE) and Meike Veen (NED) have been crowned the winners of this season’s ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating series. The 17-year-old Czech and the 19-year-old Dutchwoman both won two individual gold medals to seize the overall World Cup Trophies on the third and final weekend of the series in Hachinohe (JPN). With four overall trophies, the Netherlands topped the nations ranking.
Courtney Sarault (CAN) is an athlete that feels on the verge of something special. The 23-year-old has been getting more competitive, season-on-season – and last year was only denied the ISU Crystal Globe by a superlative performance from Dutch great Suzanne Schulting (NED).
Sandrine Tas (BEL) and Ramona Härdi (SUI) took historic first-ever female speed skating World Cup medals for Belgium and Switzerland on the final day of the World Cup season in Quebec City. Taking advantage of the favorites’ focus on the overall ranking, Tas won the Mass Start, edging out Härdi in the final sprint. Valérie Maltais (CAN) took the Mass Start Trophy. Earlier on Sunday, Femke Kok (NED) won the final 500m race of the World Cup season, while Joy Beune won the 1500m.
Polish sprinters had a field day on Sunday to conclude the season’s final World Cup in Quebec City. Marek Kania, Piotr Michalski and Damian Zurek (POL) edged out Norway by .09 seconds to take Team Sprint gold. Individually, Kania (silver) and Michalski (bronze) seized their first medals of the season in the 500m, only to be beaten by the unstoppable Jordan Stolz (USA), who took his fourth gold medal of the weekend. Finishing sixth, Wataru Morishige (JPN) secured the 500m World Cup Trophy.
Two-time ISU World bronze medalists Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier (CAN) celebrated their first ISU Championship title as competition wrapped up at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Shanghai (CHN) Sunday with the Free Dance.
After four second-place finishes and one third, Andrea Giovannini (ITA) finally managed to take home the Mass Start World Cup Trophy. The 30-year-old Italian finished fifth in the final race in Quebec City on Saturday, collecting enough points to pass absent leader Bart Swings (BEL) in the ranking. Seventeen-year-old Shomu Sasaki (JPN) won the race to take his first World Cup gold, while Jordan Stolz (USA) struck again in the 1500m and the 500m, edging out home favorite Laurent Dubreuil (CAN) by .08 seconds in the shortest distance. Ning Zhongyan (CHN) won the 1500m ranking, grabbing his second trophy of the weekend.
Kim Min Sun (KOR) set up a great season finale in the 500m World Cup classification. Winning the penultimate race in a track record 37.69 seconds at the Gaétan Boucher Oval in Quebec City, Canada on Saturday, the Korean title defender narrowed the gap with leader Erin Jackson (USA) to 14 points. Jackson finished fifth, while Femke Kok (NED) took silver just .01 seconds behind Kim. Tian Ruining (CHN) seized her first individual World Cup podium in 38.05. The final 500m is scheduled for Sunday. Together with Marrit Fledderus and Naomi Verkerk (NED), Kok won the Team Sprint, taking home the World Cup Trophy in that event.
Olympic silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama (JPN) scored a runaway victory en route to his first ISU Championship title at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Shanghai (CHN) Saturday.
Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Maxime Deschamps (CAN) struck gold in the Pairs as the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships continued Saturday in Shanghai (CHN).
The crowd went wild when Valérie Maltais (CAN) seized the first World Cup podium of her career in the overall ranking, at the first World Cup in Quebec City in 32 years. The 33-year-old from La Baie, Quebec maintained her third-place standing in the long distance ranking by winning a bronze medal on home ice. Irene Schouten (NED) won the distance ahead of Joy Beune (NED). Ragne Wiklund (NOR) finished fifth, which was enough to take home the long distance World Cup Trophy. Miho Takagi (JPN) finished her World Cup season in style, taking home the 1000m World Cup Trophy with a gold medal in the final race.
Ted-Jan Bloemen (CAN) became the first Canadian to win a World Cup race in Quebec City, wrapping up the 5000m in a track record time of 6:13.87 against Davide Ghiotto (ITA). The Italian took silver to secure the World Cup Trophy, redeeming himself after missing out on the trophy after a disqualification last year. Jordan Stolz (USA) struck gold again in the 1000m, beating Ning Zhongyan (CHN) in a face-to-face battle. Finishing third, Ning held on to first position in the World Cup classification to take home the season’s trophy.
Reigning ISU Four Continents bronze medalist Mone Chiba (JPN) cruised to the Women’s gold at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Shanghai (CHN) Friday.
All eyes at the third and final ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating event of the season in Hachinohe will be on Angel Daleman (NED) and Finn Sonnekalb (GER) this weekend. The pair scooped every individual Speed Skating gold on offer at the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games in the women’s and men’s competitions, respectively. But the World Cup is a different ballgame, with the return of many experienced junior skaters who were too old to compete in Gangwon.