Robin Groot (NED) anchored an orange medal haul at the ISU Junior World Cup in Bjugn, Norway. The 18-year-old celebrated three gold medals in the ladies competition. In total the Dutch juniors won seven gold medals and a total of 14, while China dominated the neo-senior competition with eight gold medals and a total of 15.
Dutch junior ladies take it all
Robin Groot (NED) at the ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating (NOR) 2019©International Skating Union (ISU)
Groot won the ladies' 3000m on Saturday and added gold medals in the 1500m and the mass start on Sunday. Femke Kok (NED) seized the ladies' 500m and 1000m and the Dutch ladies also took home the team sprint victory to win all the ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating events in the ladies' tournament. Kok's time of 39.30 seconds was a junior track record in the Fosenhallen. Japan came second in the ladies' ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating medal ranking, with a silver medal for Rin Kosaka in the 3000m, silver in the team sprint and a bronze for Wataru Morishige in the 1000m.
Four times Japan in men's junior competition
Taiyo Nonomura (JPN) at the ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating (NOR) 2019©International Skating Union (ISU)
Japan topped the medal table in the men's ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating competition, but it was less lopsided than the ladies'. On the first day Taiyo Nonomura (JPN) won the 1000m, Motonaga Arito (JPN) the 3000m and the Japanese juniors also grabbed team sprint gold. Tsubasa Horikawa (JPN) added a fourth gold to the Japanese men's junior tally when he won the mass start on Sunday. The Netherlands took one gold medal with Jur Veenje (NED) in the 1500m, while Sang Hyeok Cho (KOR) won the 500m in a track record of 36.16 seconds, representing the Republic of Korea.
Two golds for Ahena (CHN)
Xiangyu Chen (CHN), Adake Er Ahena (CHN) and Josie Hofmann (GER) at the ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating (NOR) 2019©International Skating Union (ISU)
Adake Er Ahena (CHN) won two gold medals (3000m and mass start) to lead a dominant Chinese squad in the ladies' neo-senior competition. German Lea-Sophie Scholz was the only non-Chinese neo-senior lady to win a gold medal, winning the 1000m in 1:21.91. Xue Lin (CHN) took gold in the 500m and Xiangyu Chen (CHN) in the 1500m, while China held off Poland and Germany in the team sprint.
Three gold for Chinese male neo-seniors
Haotian Wang (CHN) at the ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating (NOR) 2019©International Skating Union (ISU)
China took three gold medals in the men's neo-senior competition, with Italy winning two and Norway one. On Saturday Haotian Wang (CHN) won the men's 1000m, while the Chinese men left Poland and Belarus behind in the Team sprint and on Sunday Hanyang Shen (CHN) added the mass start gold to China's total. Italy's Jeffrey Rosanelli won the men's 500m on Sunday and his compatriot Francesco Betti clinched the 1500m gold. Norway's Vetle Stangeland won the 3000m.
The ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating Series consists of three events. The second leg will be held in Enschede, the Netherlands, on 23-24 November and the final is scheduled for 15-16 February in Minsk, Belarus.
For further information on ISU Speed Skating visit https://www.isu.org/speed-skating. Subscribe to the ISU Newsletter to receive the latest information and follow the conversation with #SpeedSkating.
YouTube: ISU Skating
IG: @isuspeedskating
Facebook: @ISUSpeedSkating
Twitter: @ISU_Speed
ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating Series 2019/20:
ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating - Qualifying YOG 2020 - Bjungn (NOR) Nov 16 – 17
ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating - Qulaifying YOG 2020 - Enschede (NED) Nov 23 - 24
ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating Final - Minsk (BLR) Feb 15 - 16
