ISU

Miho Takagi (JPN) shook off some mid-season rust on Friday, winning two gold medals at her first ISU Four Continents Championships appearance. The Japanese superstar recorded a season-best time of 1:52.37 to win the 1500m, after she had already snatched gold in the Team Sprint with Kurumi Inagawa and Ayano Sato at the Utah Olympic Oval.

The ISU Four Continents Championships are the latest addition to the international Speed Skating calendar. At the first three editions in Milwaukee (2019), Calgary (2022) and Quebec (2023) many top Skaters from outside Europe decided to skip the tournament, but the fourth edition is held on the fastest ice on earth in Salt Lake City and everyone is eager to start. 

Marijke Groenewoud (NED) crowned herself queen of the 2024 ISU European Speed Skating Championships when she collected her third gold medal with a solo finish after a powerful attack in the Mass Start on Sunday. Earlier on Sunday, Groenewoud had seized her second title, together with Irene Schouten and Joy Beune in the Team Pursuit, with Germany and Switzerland surprisingly taking silver and bronze. In between, Jutta Leerdam (NED) won her third straight European gold in the 1000m.

Peder Kongshaug (NOR) edged out his idol Kjeld Nuis (NED) to take his career first individual international title in the 1500m at the ISU European Speed Skating Championships in Heerenveen on Sunday. In the 500m Jenning de Boo (NED) also took his maiden title, ahead of Marten Liiv (EST) and Marek Kania (POL). Bart Swings (BEL) concluded the tournament with a powerful sprint to seize his third straight European title in the Mass Start.  

The Dutch women won five of six available medals on the second day of the ISU European Speed Skating Championships in Heerenveen. Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong, Marijke Groenewoud and Joy Beune swept the 1500m podium, while Femke Kok and Jutta Leerdam took gold and silver in the 500m. Vanessa Herzog (AUT) was the only non-Dutch medalist in Saturday’s women’s competition, with bronze in the 500m.

Patrick Roest (NED) seized his third consecutive European 5000m title after an intriguing head-to-head-battle with main rival Davide Ghiotto (ITA) on the second day of the ISU European Speed Skating Championships in Heerenveen. Before the long-distance specialist took the ice, Marek Kania, Piotr Michalski, Damian Zurek skated a track record to celebrate gold for Poland in the Team Sprint. 

Marijke Groenewoud (NED) surprisingly beat Olympic Champion Irene Schouten (NED) and World Cup leader Ragne Wiklund (NOR) in the 3000m to win her first international title in a classic distance at the ISU European Speed Skating Championships on Friday. With the Dutch women also snatching gold in the Team Sprint, the home nation won both available female titles on the opening day in Heerenveen. 

“A sheer perfect race”, said Norway coach Bjarne Rykkje after Sander Eitrem, Peder Kongshaug and Sverre Lunde Pedersen (NOR) broke the Team Pursuit world record to seize gold on the opening day of the ISU European Championships in Heerenveen, Netherlands on Friday. After the Norwegian display of power, Kjeld Nuis (NED) relied on experience to keep his young teammates Jenning de Boo and Tim Prins at bay in a Dutch 1000m podium sweep. 

After four exciting World Cup events in November and December, the international Speed Skating season resumes with the ISU European Championships in Heerenveen from 5-7 January. After last year’s Allround and Sprint tournaments, this year’s event will be held in single distance format, with a total of fourteen titles at stake. 

On December 3, 2023, the International Skating Union (ISU) together with a variety of partners, national federations and skating clubs from all over the globe celebrated the World Ice Skating Day (WISD). This second edition was a success with events organized in 53 countries and at 130 ice rinks worldwide. By reuniting thousands of skaters of different levels, ages and social backgrounds, the ISU has achieved the major goal that underlines this initiative: making equal access, diversity and inclusion a reality in the ice skating community – a trend to be set not only over a single day but for the years ahead.

Judgement of the Court of Justice of the European Union on the appeal of the International Skating Union against the decision of the General Court of the European Union of December 16, 2020.

As the year draws to a close, the ISU President, Jae Youl Kim, has a video message for all skating friends.

Miho Takagi (JPN) took full advantage of Jutta Leerdam’s (NED) absence in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland, crushing the field in the 1000m on Sunday to overtake the Dutch leader in the World Cup standings. Brittany Bowe (USA) celebrated a long-awaited comeback on the podium, coming in second ahead of teammate Kimi Goetz. Wrapping up the weekend in the Mass Start, Irene Schouten (NED) edged out Ivanie Blondin (CAN) and Mia Kilburg-Manganello (USA) in a tight bunch sprint.

Laurent Dubreuil (CAN) seized his first World Cup gold of the season in the second 500m heat of the weekend at Tomaszów Mazowiecki on Sunday. The last two seasons’ World Cup winner edged out Saturday gold medalist and Olympic Champion Gao Tingyu (CHN) by 0.06s. Damian Zurek (POL) took bronze in front of an ecstatic home crowd. In the long distances Patrick Roest (NED) made amends for coming eighth in the 10,000m last week in Stavanger. 

Peder Kongshaug (NOR) surprised everyone but himself when he beat Jordan Stolz (USA) in the 1500m to win his career first individual World Cup gold at the Arena Lodowa on Saturday. The 22-year-old Norwegian added a Team Pursuit bronze alongside teammates Sverre Lunde Pedersen and Hallgeir Engebråten. In the 500m Gao Tingyu (CHN) ended the four-race winning streak of Wataru Morishige (JPN), the Japanese ace coming third in Tomaszów Mazowiecki.