World championships in Hamar: Laurent Dubreuil joins a select club / Roest and Wüst in the lead

On the day two of the combined sprint/allround championships, the final day of sprint competition saw Japan dominate the sprint distances while Laurent Dubreuil offered Canada a major reason to smile. In the allround it’s Patrick Roest and Ireen Wüst who lead the way heading into the final day of competition.

By Maria Dalton
Photos 2020 © International Skating Union (ISU)

Takagi, Shinhama crowned world sprint champions

On the women’s side it was Miho Takagi, the 2018 Allround champion, who snapped up the top spot in the sprint competition in Hamar. Takagi set a new track record today in the 1000m with her time of 1:13.79  - over a second faster than the previous mark. Takagi finished atop the podium, with a new lowland world record for sprint points. Last year’s champion, fellow Japanese skater Nao Kodaira, finished in second while Russian skater Olga Fatkulina rounded off the final podium. In the second editions of the 500m and 1000m it was Nao Kodaira and Miho Takagi who finished first on the distances, respectively. 

On the men's side Tatsuya Shinhama became the first Japanese man to be crowned sprint champion since 1987. After a pair of one-two finishes on the first day, the Japanese skater closed out the weekend with a first place finish in the second 500m and a third place finish in the 1000m to stand atop the overall spring podium. Canadian Laurent Dubreuil was crowned vice-champion to become only the fourth Canadian to ever reach the podium in the events 50 year history - alongside Jeremy Wotherspoon, Gaetan Boucher and Mike Ireland. Rounding off the podium was Korean Min Kyu Cha. In the second 500m it was Tatsuya Shinhama who found himself atop the podium, while Dutchman Kjeld Nuis finished at the top of the field in the 1000m.

Double Dutch lead the way in Allround competition 

After the first day of the allround competition it was a pair of Dutch skaters, reigning champion Patrick Roest and Ireen Wust who led the way heading into the second day of competition. Roest, who had a very disappointing world championships in Salt Lake two weeks ago, is looking to bounce back from his poor performance across the pond. He will face stiff competition from Norweigian skater Sverre Lunde Pedersen who is looking for redemption from his 2018 fall at the Allround in Amsterdam, and is looking to bounce back from a bike crash last fall.  Ireen Wust, who finished 5th last year in Calgary, performed well in Hamar on day one to sit just ahead of Canadian Ivanie Blondin. 

Kramer, Russians withdraw

Competition this weekend in Hamar has seen a slew of withdrawals from skaters across the board including all three male Russian sprinters - who withdrew due to health concerns. Additionally, the legendary Sven Kramer chose not to continue competing after day one due to undisclosed family medical concerns. Canadian sprinter David La Rue was also forced to withdraw due to injury.

Stay tuned for our recap of the final day of competition later today.

Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter, follow our Facebook page, our Instagram account and our Twitter account for daily news and results about speed skating.

Read More

2018-2019 long track season recap: Norway

Here’s our 2018-2019 season recap for team Norway in long track speed skating.

By Jackob Savard

Photo: Schaats Foto’s

Norway’s success in the 2018-2019 season were mostly brought by Havard Lorentzen and Sverre Lunde Pedersen.

Well placed in the World cup rankings

The Norwegian team collected some good results in the overall World cup ranking. Havard Lorentzen was again one of the best sprinters in the world this season. He collected four podiums on 500m including a victory and ended the season in 3rd position of the ranking on the distance. He also finished 5th of the 1000m final ranking. Alongside his teammates, Lorentzen also helped Norway finish in 2nd place of the team sprint events. Norwegian men were solid on 1500m placing four skaters in the top 10 (Allan Dahl Johansson, Havard Bokko, Sverre Lunde Pedersen and Sindre Henriksen). These skaters also finished 1st in the team pursuit. Sverre Lunde Pedersen ended his season with a 3rd place in the long distances ranking with three podiums in six races. The ladies’ team had less success, but Ida Njatun managed to finish 13th and 10th on 1000m and 1500m respectively.

Lorentzen and Pedersen medalists at the championships

Norway had reasons to celebrate in the championships season. Havard Lorentzen raced the 2nd best time at the single distance championships on 500m and was 4th on 1000m. He also finished 2nd of the European sprint championships, but wasn’t able to defend his world sprint champion title as he finished 4th. Sverre Lunde Pedersen claimed his 1st world champion title in career with a dominant 5000m race at the World single distances championships. He also finished 2nd on 1500m and in the team pursuit at this competition. Adding to his single distances success, Pedersen collected a 3rd position at the European allround championships and a 2nd place at the World allround championships.

Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter, follow our Facebook page, our Instagram account and our Twitter account for daily news and results about speed skating.

Read More

Inzell jour 1: Des victoires qui font du bien pour Pedersen et Sablikova

Les championnats du monde de distances individuelles 2019 ont débuté aujourd’hui à Inzell en Allemagne.

By Jackob Savard

Photo: Schaats Foto's

Le premier jour de ces championnats a débuté avec les épreuves de sprint par équipe féminine et masculine et s’est poursuivi avec le 3000m pour les dames et le 5000m pour les hommes.

Les Néerlandais parfait au sprint par équipe

Le sprint par équipe a été remporté par les Néerlandais, autant chez les femmes que les hommes. Les deux équipes ont remporté leurs titres respectifs avec une avance de près d’une seconde. Les Canadiennes et les Russes ont terminé deuxième et troisième alors que, chez les hommes, ce sont les Coréens et les Russes qui ont complété le podium. Les Norvégiens, parmi les favoris du côté masculin ont souffert d’une chute.

L'expérience l’a emporté au 3000m féminin

Au 3000m féminin, la patineuse néerlandaise de 23 ans Antoinette de Jong a établi un temps de 3:59.411 dans la septième paire. Elle semblait intouchable, jusqu’aux deux derniers tours de la Tchèque de 31 ans Martina Sablikova, qui a parcouru la distance en 3:58.911, devançant de Jong et s’emparant, par le fait même, de son 18e titre de championne du monde en carrière. Une victoire qui fera beaucoup de bien à Sablikova qui avait jonglé avec l’idée de prendre sa retraite la saison dernière à cause de problèmes de dos. La Russe Natalia Voronina a pris la médaille de bronze.

Un premier titre en carrière pour Pedersen

Le Norvégien Sverre Lunde Pedersen était dominant aujourd’hui sur 5000m et il a établi un nouveau record personnel et de piste. Il a parcouru la distance en 6:07.167, quatre secondes et demi devant son plus proche rival Patrick Roest, qui a tout essayé, mais qui a dû se contenter du second rang. Il s’agit d’un premier titre de champion du monde en carrière pour Pedersen. Rappelons-nous, qu’il était en voie d’en obtenir un à Amsterdam l’an passé, mais qu’il avait subi une chute qui l’avait privé du titre. Sven Kramer a fait une bonne course et a pris le troisième rang.

Assurez-vous de vous abonnez à notre infolettre, de suivre notre page Facebook, notre compte Instagram et notre compte Twitter pour ne manquer aucune nouvelle sur le patinage de vitesse.

Read More

Hamar Day 2: Kodaira, Bowe lead the way with two new track records

On day two in Hamar skaters competed in the first 500m of the weekend and the 1000m. It was the ladies who led the way today, setting two new track records and showing that they are in top shape heading into the latter half of the season.

By Maria Dalton

Photo by Schaats Foto's

Kulizhnikov, Kodaira on top in the 500m

Pavel Kulizhnikov finished with a time of 34.652 to finished atop the podium for the fourth time in a row this season. The Russian skater has been on top of the podium 5 times this season and currently sits atop the ISU ranking. Jun-Ho Kim was second with a time of 34.718, while Dai Dai Ntab rounded off the podium with his time of 34.771. Another skater to make note of is Laurent Dubreuil who found his way into the top-5 for the first time since Obihiro. The Canadian will be looking to build upon his strong performance at the Canadian Championships as the season winds down.

Nao Kodaira found herself atop the podium in the 500m once again with her time of 37.254 to set a new track record. The Japanese skater is undefeated this season in the distance and sits second overall in the world cup rankings (she was absent from WC #3 in Poland). Vanessa Herzog finished second with a time of 37.378 and sits atop the World cup rankings with 444 points. Angelina Golikova rounded off the podium with her time of 37.916.

Verbij, Bowe find themselves atop the podium in the 1000m

It was a Dutch podium sweep in the men’s 1000m as Kai Verbij lead the way with his time of 1:08.471. Thomas Krol finished a close second with his time of 1:08.534, while Kjeld Nuis rounded of the podium with his time of 1:08.714. Nuis remains atop the World cup rankings with 222 points – just ahead of Kulizhnikov and Lorentzen who have 217 points each.

Britanny Bowe finished atop the podium and set a new track record with a time of 1:14.791. With her result today, Bowe remains atop the World cup standing with 277 points. Nao Kodaira found herself atop the podium for the second time today – finishing with a time of 1:15.254 to bring home the silver medal. Lotte van Beek rounded off the podium with her time of 1:15.429.

For Friday's recap, click HERE

Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter, follow our Facebook page, our Instagram account and our Twitter account for daily news and results about speed skating.

Read More

Tomakomai Day 1: Japanese fans spoiled by their local heroes

The men’s team from the Netherlands, and the women’s team from Japan found themselves atop the podium at the second World cup of the season in the team pursuit. Nao Kodaira continued to dominate the 500m, while Tatsuya Shinhama found himself atop the podium in what was nearly a Japanese podium sweep.

By Maria Dalton

Photo by ISU Live Stream

The first day of racing in Tomakomai at the second World cup of the season saw skaters competing in the first of two 500m events as well as the team pursuit. The Japanese women continued to dominate, while others found the podium for the first time this season. New track records were established in all events raced today.

Shinhama, Kodaira atop the podium in the 500m

Tatsuya Shinhama set a new track record in the 500m on route to capturing the gold medal with his time of 35:450. Shinhama finished just ahead of his compatriot Yuma Murakami who finished with a time of 35:53. Jan Smeekens of the Netherlands rounded off the podium with his time of 35:58 to narrowly prevent a Japanese podium sweep. Ryohei Haga of Japan was fourth, on what was surely a thrilling day of racing for Japanese fans.

Nao Kodaira, the reigning Olympic champion in the 500m, continued to dominate the competition. Her time of 38:03 was nearly half a second faster than the second-place skater – quite a large margin when considering the speed of the 500m. Kodaira continues her dominant run in the distance, capturing her third gold medal of the season in the 500m and further extends her win streak. Vanessa Herzog of Austria once again finished just behind Kodaira with her time of 38.520. With her performance today, Herzog captures her third silver medal in the 500m of the season. Daria Kachanova of Russia rounded off the podium with her time of 38:820.

Netherlands, Japan win team pursuit

The Dutch team found themselves atop the podium in the men’s team pursuit, posting a time of 3:45.870 to give them their first win of the season in the event. Finishing in second place was the Norwegian team who improved upon their third-place finish from just a week ago in Obihiro. The trio of Norwegian skaters finished with a time of 3:47.150. The Japanese brought home their first medal of the season in the team pursuit with their time of 3:47.170. Rounding out the top-5 were the teams from Russia and Canada. The Russians failed to find the success they had last weekend, while the Canadian men saw no improvement from their fifth place finish a week ago.

The Japanese team comprised of Ayano Sato, Nana Takagi and Miho Takagi found themselves atop the podium on the women’s side for a second weekend. The reigning Olympic champions finished just shy of 4 seconds faster than the Canadians with a time of 3:02.370 and once again set a new track record. The Canadian trio of Ivanie Blondin, Isabelle Weidemann and Keri Morrison captured their first medals of the season with a silver medal finish today. The Russian skaters finished with a time of 3:06.690, to bring home their second bronze medal of the season in the women’s team pursuit event. The teams from the Netherlands and Italy rounded out the top-5.

Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter, follow our Facebook page, our Instagram account and our Twitter account for daily news and results about speed skating.

Read More

Obihiro day 1: Olympic Champions Lorentzen and Kodaira capture first 500m titles of the season

The men’s team from Russia, and the women’s team from Japan found themselves atop the podium at the first world cup of the season in the team pursuit. The 500m will be raced two-times this weekend, with Havard Lorentzen and Nao Kodaira being crowned champions in the distance the first time around.

By Maria Dalton

Photo by Oscar van den Bosch

The first day of racing in Obihiro at World Cup 1 saw skaters racing the first of two 500m events as well as the team pursuit. With a new track record established in the team pursuit event and dominating performances by the reigning Olympic champions, the season is setting out to be very exciting as new and old rivalries continue to grow and evolve.

Lorentzen, Kodaira bring home hardware

Havard Lorentzen, the reigning Olympic champion, found himself atop the podium in the 500m. Lorentzen was skating with world record holder Pavel Kulizhnikov in the ninth pair in what was an exciting race as the skaters finished within 4 one-hundredths of a second of each other. Lorentzen finished with a time of 34.732, while Kulizhnikov finished with a time of 34.777. Tatsuya Shinhama of Japan delighted a home crowd with his bronze medal finish in a time of 34.871.

Nao Kodaira, the reigning Olympic champion in the 500m, continued her domination by posting a time of 37.496 to capture her first medal of the 2018/2019 season. Kodaira’s dominance in the distance goes all the way back to the 2017 World Sprint Championships in Calgary, where she captured her first title. Vanessa Herzog of Austria finished just behind Kodaira with her time of 37.642. Kodaira’s compatriot, Maki Tsuji finished in third place with her time of 38.040.  

Russia, Japan on top in the  team pursuit

The Russian team found themselves atop the podium in the men’s team pursuit, posting a blistering time in the third of six pairs. The skaters from Russia posted a time of 3:41.260 and watched as team after team failed to match their time, giving them their first win of the season in the team pursuit. Finishing in second place were Dutch skaters Marcel Bosker, Douwe de Vries and Chris Huizinga, who finished with a time of 3:42.140. The trio of Norwegian skaters finished in third with a time of 3:42.770. The reigning Olympic champions started off strong but faded as the race went on and were no match for the quick pace set by the Russian skaters. Rounded out the top-5 were the teams from Japan and Canada.

The Japanese team comprised of Ayano Sato, Nana Takagi and Miho Takagi found themselves atop the podium on the women’s side. The reigning Olympic champions were 3-seconds faster than the Dutch women and finished with a time of 2:57.80 to establish a new track record. Finishing in second was the Dutch trio of Ireen Wust, Lotte van Beek and Joy Beune with a time of 3:00.130. The team of Russian skaters finished with a time of 3:01.110, narrowly beating out the Canadians for the bronze medal. The teams from Canada and Poland rounded out the top-5.

Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter, follow our Facebook page, our Instagram account and our Twitter account for daily news and results about speed skating.

Read More

Kjeld Nuis golden again in the 1000m, Lorentzen wins silver

The Dutch are golden again as Kjeld Nuis comes out on top in the 1000m. Havard Lorentzen, the 500m winner from earlier this week, finished in second place to capture the silver medal. Rounding off the podium was 23 years old Tae-Yun Kim of Korea.

By Maria Dalton

Photos by Schaats Foto's

Kjeld Nuis strikes gold again

Kjeld Nuis wins his second gold medal of the games and continues his dominating 2017/2018 season. His speedy time of 1:07.95 was just enough to edge Havard Lorentzen out of first place by 4 one-hundredths of a second. Nuis repeated his performance from last years’ World Single Distance championships as he claimed the top spot in both the 1000m and 1500m. With his performance today, the Dutchman becomes the first man since Gaetan Boucher in 1984 to win gold in both the 1500m and 1000m. With Nuis’ medal today, the Dutch bring their total medal count in speed skating from these games to 14, seven of which are gold.

Havard Lorentzen of Norway finished with a time of 1:07.99, and had to play the waiting game to see if his time would hold with two pairs left to skate. The last pair saw Kjeld Nuis overtake him for the top spot, as Lorentzen finished in the silver medal position. The Norwegian was the first of only two men to go sub-1:08.00 today at the Gangneung Oval, and he finishes his Olympic games with one gold and one silver medal.

The final podium spot went to Tea-Yun Kim of Korea, much to the delight of fans in the crowd. The 23 year-old vastly improved upon his 30th place finish at the Sochi Olympics, and earned his best international finish in the 1000m with his bronze medal today.

Shani Davis’ final Olympic Race

The legendary Shani Davis, ends his final Olympics with a top 10 finish today. The 35 year-old American, who is competing in his fourth and last Olympics, finished his last Olympic race in 7th place with a time of 1:08.78. Davis has four Olympic medals to his name, two gold and two silver, and is the current world record holder in the 1000m. He has previously stated that his goal was to win a medal at the 2018 games, and declined to talk with the media after his race today.

Davis’ compatriot Joey Mantia skated in the 13th pair, and finished just off the podium in 4th place. His result today is an improvement on his 15th place finish in Sochi four years ago, but is surely a tough pill to swallow as he was so close to winning his first Olympic medal. Mantia will now shift his focus to the mass start this weekend where he is considered a strong contender to end up on the podium.

Disappointment for the Canadians once again

Three Canadian skaters were in action today at the Gangneung Oval, but the struggle continued for the Canadians as they failed to post any top 10 finishes. The highest Canadian finisher was Alexandre St-Jean who got off to a quick start and finished in 11th place with a time of 1:09.24. The 24 year-old from Quebec City is competing in his first Olympic games after failing to qualify for the Sochi games four years ago. Vincent de Haitre, Cumberland, ON native, finished in 19th place with his time of 1:09.79. De Haitre, who was considered a medal threat in the 1500m, has had a rough go at these Olympic games as he has been suffering from a bruised heel all week. This is a disappointing finish for de Haitre, who finished in 2nd place one year ago on the same ice in Gangneung at last years World Single Distance Championships. Laurent Dubreuil capped of his first Olympic games by finishing in 25th place with a time 1:10.03.

Visit our special coverage page to find all our articles related to Pyeongchang 2018 by clicking HERE.

Results

Kjeld Nuis (NED) – 1:07.95

Havard Lorentzen (NOR) – 1:07.99

Tae-Yun Kim (KOR) – 1:08.22

Joey Mantia (USA) – 1:08.564

Takuro Oda (JPN) – 1:08.568

Kai Verbij (NED) – 1:08.62

Shani Davis (USA) – 1:08.78

Nico Ihle (GER) – 1:08.94

Koen Verweij (NED) – 1:09.14

Mitchell Whitmore (USA) – 1:09.17

Alexandre St-Jean (CAN) – 1:09.24

Min Kyu Cha (KOR) – 1:09.27

Jaewoong Chung (KOR) – 1:09.43

Joel Dufter (GER) – 1:09.47

Haralds Silovs (LAT) – 1:09.50

Mika Poutala (FIN) – 1:09.58

Sebastian Klosinski (POL) – 1:09.59

Marten Liiv (EST) – 1:09.75

Vincent de Haitre (CAN) – 1:09.79

Tsubasa Hasegawa (JPN) – 1:09.83

Konrad Nagy (HUN) – 1:09.92

Daniel Greig (AUS) – 1:09.99

Konrad Niedzweidzki (POL) – 1:10.026

Daichi Yamanaka (JPN) – 1:10.027

Laurent Dubreuil (CAN) – 1:10.03

Tao Yang (CHN) – 1:10.10

Denis Kuzin (KAZ) – 1:10.13

Ignat Golovatsiuk (BLR) – 1:10.14

Stanislav Palkin (KAZ) – 1:10.15

Mirko Giacomo Nenzi (ITA) – 1:10.16

Piotr Michalski (POL) – 1:10.17

Henrik Fagerli Rukke (NOR) - 1:10.25

Fedor Mezentsev (KAZ)  - 1:10.62

Pedro Causil (COL) – 1:10.71

Mathias Voste (BEL) – 1:11.24

Pekka Koskela (FIN) – 1:11.76

Read More