Calgary, Canada

dedicate page banner 1280x200 qrcode

 #SpeedSkating

With gold in the 1000m on Sunday, Jutta Leerdam (NED) made it four wins from four in the distance in the ISU World Cup Speed Skating series this season. Just like last week, she left Olympic Champion Miho Takagi (JPN) far behind in second place.

To conclude the back-to-back World Cup events in Calgary, Irene Schouten (NED) repeated last week’s Mass Start victory to take gold with a perfectly executed final sprint.

Leerdam refuses to let period cramp her style

Leerdam was the only woman to skate under one minute and 13 seconds, and with a time of 1:12.53s, the World Cup leader was 0.29s faster than last week on the same ice.

The Dutch skater made the difference on the first full lap, skating an unmatched 26.2s. Silver medalist Takagi had a similar opener and a similar final lap, but lost almost half a second in the middle section. Kimi Goetz (USA) took bronze a further 0.39s behind.

Jutta Leerdam NED

Jutta Leerdam (NED) overcame illness to make it it four 1000m wins from four in this season's World Cup. ©ISU

Determined rivals were not the only challenge that Leerdam had to overcome this weekend to maintain her perfect record.

“I never expected this,” she said. “I was super sick because of my period yesterday, nauseous, feverish, strained. I even thought I wouldn’t be able to skate today, but I thought: forget about it, last week I was seven tenths faster, so maybe I can still win if I feel less strong.

“It’s just too bad it happens in a race weekend. Women are just difficult.

“I’m glad my level is high enough to be able to win in a week like this.”

Despite that knowledge, Leerdam will be just as nervous when her next race comes around.

“Every week, I’m stressed. I think: am I good enough? Next week I’ll again think that I can’t skate at all. That insecurity keeps me sharp.”

Leerdam intends to use her nerves to keep her rivals at bay after her immaculate streak at the first four World Cup events.

“I always want to improve. This is great, but I want to skate better every time, and then the gap [to her rivals] can only get bigger. And if they improve too, fine, I just want to keep growing and winning.”

Takagi keeps working

Takagi set a time of 1:13.19, which was also faster than last week, but the gap to winner Leerdam was about the same, 0.71s last week versus 0.66 this time out.

“Of course I’m disappointed to come second, but on the other hand, I was happy to make progress,” said the Japanese skater.

Takagi Leerdam Geotz 1000m podium

Leerdam (NED, centre), Takagi (JPN, left) and Goetz (USA, right) made up the Calgary podium and the World Cup rankings. ©ISU

“She [Leerdam] is really good. I have to work hard to catch up with her”

Goetz’s bronze completed a repeat of last week’s podium, and the same trio lead the 1000m World Cup standings after four of six events in the series.

Schouten converts excellent team tactics into gold

Irene Schouten (NED) also consolidated her place at the top of the World Cup ranking. The triple Olympic Champion won the Mass Start, beating Ivanie Blondin (CAN) and Marijke Groenewoud (NED) in the final sprint.

Irene Schouten NED

Irene Schouten (NED) timed her Mass Start sprint to perfection to consolidate her World Cup ranking lead. ©ISU

Groenewoud had tried her luck in an early breakaway together with Italian Laura Peveri and Momoka Horikawa and Sumire Kikuchi from Japan. Surprisingly, the Japanese skaters did not cooperate to stay ahead of the bunch.

“I didn’t really understand much of [the tactics of] the Japanese,” Groenewoud said. “They were with two in a group of four, you would expect them to work for the breakaway, but apparently they had another plan.

“It was a pity, because I had to do it almost all by myself. The Italian [Peveri] took two turns up front, but she slowed down every time, so I had to make pace again, which costs a lot of energy.

“I knew Irene was in the background, and all the others [in the pack] had to work.”

Marijke Groenewoud NED Mass Start

Marijke Groenewoud (NED, right) leads an early breakaway ahead of Peveri (ITA) and Japanese skaters Horikawa and Kikuchi. ©ISU

As Groenewoud anticipated, the race panned out perfectly for teammate Schouten, who explained how she timed her late attack to perfection.

“Marijke [Groenewoud] was the fastest in that group, so if they were to stay ahead, she probably would have won,” said Schouten.

“I could sit out and watch Blondin and Kilburg [Mia Kilburg-Manganello, USA] work for it.

“Marijke and me, we understand each other really well. We have raced together so much, we know what we’re doing.

“[In the final sprint], I saw Marijke lead it out and I felt Blondin was worn out, so when I went on the outside with 300m to go, I knew the others were done.”

Schouten misses natural Netherlands ice

Looking back on the first half of the season, Schouten was content, despite a less than perfect 3000m race at the first World Cup in Stavanger and a fluke seventh place in the 3000m in Calgary last week.

“If I’m not at the top of my game, I may not win like in Stavanger, and what happened here in the 3000m in Calgary, I still don’t have a clue, but all-in-all my level is good, but the travelling costs a lot of energy.”

Schouten also regretted not having been at home last week, because there was a rare chance to skate on natural ice in the Netherlands.

“[Skating on natural ice] is the reason I started skating in the first place. And now I see all those pictures of friends and family skating on the lakes and the canals and I think: I’m the skater and I’m stuck here in Canada. It’s a shame.”

Blondin takes third medal of marathon weekend

Blondin concluded a busy weekend in which she skated the 5000m, the Team Sprint, the 1500m, the Mass Start and the 1000m, with a silver medal, making amends for last week’s disqualification in the Mass Start.

Blondin Schouten Groenewoud Mass Start podium

Ivanie Blondin (CAN, left) split Dutch pair Schouten and Groenewoud to win her third medal of a busy weekend. ©ISU

“It feels like a marathon day for me, with the 1000m in there,” she said.

“I had a personal best, and I was really happy with that. I knew the speed was there. I worked a little bit during the Mass Start race, which was kind of a given as we had to catch those four girls that were in the front. We all worked really well together.

“Even Val [teammate Valérie Maltais, CAN] was pulling for me I was pulling, and I think it was a great strategy. The whole pack was trying to catch back those four up front.

“Schouten got away from me at the final sprint, but there's only so much I can do with a big day like that, and a big weekend as well. So as I was happy with the result.”

Program

The ISU World Cup Speed Skating series conclude with a doubleheader on 10-12 February 2023 and 17-19 February in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland.

For all information about the ISU World Cup Speed Skating Series, please visit the webpage here.

World Cup Standings - Men

Men 500m

Men 1000m

Men 1500m

Long Distances

Mass Start

Team Pursuit

 

World Cup Standings - Women

Women 500m

Women 1000m

Women 1500m

Long Distances

Mass Start

Team Pursuit

 

Where to watch

Viewers will be able to watch the World Cup sessions (local time) via their national broadcaster/channel.

For countries where there are no broadcasters, the ISU will offer a live stream on the Skating ISU YouTube Channel. You will find the full list on the Where to watch webpage here.

 

ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating Series events 2022/23:

Nov 11 - 13, 2022                     Stavanger /NOR 

Nov 18 - 20, 2022                     Heerenveen/ NED

Dec 09 - 11, 2022                     Calgary /CAN

Dec 16 - 18, 2022                     Calgary /CAN

Feb 10 - 12, 2023                      Tomaszów Mazowiecki /POL

Feb 17 - 19, 2023                      World Cup Final - Tomaszów Mazowiecki /POL