Lausanne, Switzerland

#SpeedSkating

After a superior display in the 1500m at the ISU World Cup Speed Skating race in Calgary a week before the ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships, Miho Takagi (JPN) was the outright favorite to win a career-first single distance title, but she did not.

Ireen Wüst relied on her vast experience to seize her career fifth 1500m world title and her 20th world title in total, including Allround honors.

Nobody knows how to handle the pressure of a big championships race better than the 33-year-old Dutch superstar.

The defending champion had set her sights on breaking the world record in Salt Lake City. She finished a little more than a second outside Takagi's leading mark of 1:49.83, but 1:50.92 was good enough to retain her title.

"I was very good today and I did what I had to do,” Wüst said.

“If the conditions [air pressure] would have been the same as last season, a world record would have been possible. You have to be a bit lucky for that, but [not skating a world record] doesn't take anything away from this gold medal."

Ireen Wust NED WSDSSC 2020 International Skating Union ISU 1201130588

Ireen Wüst (NED) at the ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships 2020©International Skating Union (ISU)

In Calgary, Wüst had finished 1.65 seconds behind the impressive Takagi, but she had kept her faith.

"I felt that I was improving this week,” she said. “The pressure and the confidence grew day-by-day and that's how I like it.”

Ireen Wust NED WSDSSC 2020 International Skating Union ISU 1201378741

Ireen Wüst (NED) at the ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships 2020©International Skating Union (ISU)