ISU

Kjeld Nuis (NED) and teammate Marcel Bosker (NED) completed a Dutch sweep of all four men’s and women’s events on the first day of the ISU World Cup in Stavanger on Friday. Nuis took gold in the 1000m with what he described himself as ‘a terrible race’, before Bosker won the Mass Start, finishing as the sole survivor of an early breakaway.

Jutta Leerdam (NED) and Irene Schouten (NED) made amends for their disappointing results in Beijing two weeks ago on an all-orange Friday night at the ISU World Cup event in Stavanger, Norway. Leerdam bounced back to win 1000m gold while Schouten, relegated to the long distance B Division after finishing eighth in the 3000m in Beijing, won the Stavanger Mass Start convincingly.

After a spectacular start to the season in Asia, the ISU World Cup Speed Skating moves to Europe and Stavanger (NOR) from 1-3 December. The Japanese and Chinese skaters who thrived on home ice in Obihiro and Beijing, hope to continue their winning ways in Norway this weekend. The endurance specialists will look forward to Stavanger with specific interest, because it’s the only World Cup with a 10,000m for men and a 5000m for women instead of the 5000m and 3000m respectively.

Issa Gunji (JPN) led Japan’s impressive medal haul at the first ISU World Cup Speed Skatingin Baselga di Piné, Italy, winning both the men’s 500m and 1000m. Metoděj Jílek (CZE) also seized two individual gold medals in the men’s competition, while Hana Noake (JPN) dominated the women’s field winning gold, silver and bronze at the outdoor rink in northern Italy.

China and Republic of Korea dominated proceedings at the first-ever ISU Junior World Cup Short Track Speed Skating at the Elfstedenhal in Leeuwarden (NED). The two Short Track powerhouses won four golds each in the inaugural competition for the world’s best young racers.

Yuma Kagiyama (JPN) celebrated a close win over teammate and two-time World Champion Shoma Uno as competition wrapped up at the NHK Trophy Saturday in Osaka (JPN). The NHK Trophy is the sixth and concluding event of the  ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series and is the final opportunity to get into the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2023/24 in Beijing (CHN) December 7-10.