Short Track never loses its ability to surprise. After she won the 1500m and 500m in commanding style on Saturday, almost nobody in the Hala Olivia, Gdansk, would have placed a bet against Suzanne Schulting (NED) triumphing in the 1000m at the ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships.
It is her favourite distance, after all, and one in which she hardly ever loses finals: she has lifted the last three European Championship 1000m titles and is back-to-back Olympic 1000m gold medallist.
But Short Track refuses to be predictable. With Schulting leading from the front in Poland, it looked like another notable moment of glory.
But then came ever-improving Belgian Hanne Desmet. She stormed from third place to overtake Schulting and Xandra Velzeboer (NED) on the line with a mighty burst of speed.
Hanne Desmet celebrates winning Belgium's first major Short Track gold after overhauling favorite Suzanne Schulting (NED) on the line in the 1000m. @ISU
Desmet is already a history maker: she won Belgium’s first ever Short Track Olympic medal, a bronze, at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, and has now added her country’s first major international gold in the sport to her palmares.
Desmet has the feelgood factor
“The three of us went for it, for first place, and it was nice Short Track,” said Desmet.
“I saw Anna [Seidel (GER)] falling just in front of me, and then it was just me, Suzanne and Xandra. None of us wanted to be second or third, and it made it a great race.
“I really wanted to go for it. I was setting up really wide, and I made a move.”
Desmet (BEL) led Anna Seidel (GER) and Schulting (NED) before the German fell ahead of a frantic finale in Gdansk. @ISU
She acknowledged that Schulting is rarely overtaken in these positions.
“Sure, sure,” said Desmet. “I don’t really know how I did it. I don’t know how I won. I just know I made it over the line first.
“I have been feeling especially good this season. I have improved a lot. I think it is mostly a technical thing. I haven’t been a good technical skater for so long, but I have made a lot of progress.
“An Olympic medal is a bigger deal, but this is my first big win. I feel so good.”
Schulting was disappointed to miss out on the individual clean sweep that she had targeted.
"This is a real pity,” she said. “I thought I was in the right position, but apparently Hanne had lots of speed and could get through in the last moment.
“It’s hard, it’s tough ice. Especially when you're skating in front. I knew Hanne was the toughest opponent. I had everything under control, but you have to have it under control until the finish line. And unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for me.”
Hungary's Petra Jaszapati, right, joined Schulting and Desmet on the 1000m podium as she won her first major individual medal. @ISU
Petra Jaszapati (HUN) was third, with Velzeboer penalised for causing Seidel’s crash.
Schulting consoled herself by helping the Netherlands win the mixed relay ahead of Belgium and Italy, and the women’s 3000m relay ahead of Hungary and Italy.
With four brilliant golds from her target of five, she remains Short Track’s European queen.
The ISU World Cup season returns in Dresden on 3 February.
For all information about the ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships, please visit webpage here.
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