Inzell day 1: Some feel good moments for Pedersen and Sablikova

The 2019 World single distances championships began today in Inzell, Germany.

By Jackob Savard

Photo: Schaats Foto's

The first day of the championships began with the team sprint events for both the ladies and men and continued with the ladies’ 3000m and the men’s 5000m.

Dutch were perfect in the team sprint events

The ladies’ and men’s Dutch team sprint squads were crowned world champion on the distance to kick off the competition. They both finished a bit less than a second ahead of the second place finishers. Canada and Russia finished second and third in the ladie’s competition while it was Korea and Russia who completed the men’s podium. Team Norway, one of the favorite team to step on the podium, was disqualified in the men’s race after a crash.

Experience prevailed in the ladies’ 3000m

In the ladies’ 3000m, 23-year-old Dutch skater Antoinette de Jong set the time to beat at 3:59.411 in the 7th pair and for a moment it looked like nobody was going to beat her. She had to wait for the 10th and last pair of the distance to see 31-year-old Martina Sablikova skate her 3000m in 3:58.911. It was Sablikova’s 18th world champion title. A feel good moment for Sablikova who considered retirement last season because of back problems. De jong got silver and Russia’s Natalia Voronina took bronze.

A first world champion title for Pedersen

Sverre Lunde Pedersen from Norway was just too strong on 5000m today. He skated the distance in 6:07.167, four and a half second faster than his closest rival Patrick Roest who tried everything but had to settle for the silver medal. It was Pedersen’s first ever world champion title and he did it establishing a new personal best and track record! It must be a satisfying win for him and all his Norwegian fans. In 2018, he was en route to win the world title in Amsterdam but crashed during the race. Sven Kramer raced well today and finished third.

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