ISU

Although Vanessa Herzog (AUT) had the fastest full lap of the Ladies' field, she hadn’t been able to beat Nao Kodaira (JPN) in the 500m until the most important race of the 2018/19 season.

Pavel Kulizhnikov (RUS) won his third World Sprint crown as the ISU World Sprint Speed Skating Championships in Heerenveen came to an end on Sunday, adding to the titles he won in 2015 and 2016. Tatsuya Shinhama clinched a surprise silver for Japan and Kjeld Nuis (NED) grabbed bronze on home soil at Thialf Stadium.

Nao Kodaira won her second World Sprint Title on Sunday in Heerenveen, the Netherlands, where the Japanese star feels at home having lived and trained in the country between 2014 and 2016. Kodaira's compatriot, World Allround Champion Miho Takagi, took a surprise silver medal and birthday girl Brittany Bowe (USA) claimed the bronze.

Pavel Kulizhnikov (RUS) and Håvard Lorentzen (NOR) did not win either of the two races on Saturday but still occupy the top-two positions in the men's overall rankings after day one of the ISU World Sprint Speed Skating Championships in Heerenveen. Kjeld Nuis (NED), who won the first 1000m of the tournament, is third while Tatsuya Shinhama (JPN) was the fastest man in the 500m and is fourth overall.

Nao Kodaira (JPN) laid a solid foundation to win a second World Sprint title in Heerenveen. The 2017 World Sprint Champion leads after the first day, with compatriot and surprise rival Miho Takagi 0.26 seconds behind in second place. Brittany Bowe (USA) and Vanessa Herzog (AUT) are in third and fourth position.

Heerenveen will host the 50th ISU World Sprint Speed Skating Championships on February 23-24. Reigning World Sprint Champion Håvard Lorentzen (NOR) hopes to keep his crown in Heerenveen while Jorien ter Mors(NED) had to skip the current season due to knee surgery leaving the title up for grabs.

It's new, it's fast and it’s ferocious. In 2019 the Team Sprint made its debut on the ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships program.

Femke Kok (NED) and Jaewon Chung (KOR) have won the ladies' and men's ISU World Junior Allround Speed Skating titles in Baselga di Piné (ITA). Both Kok and Chung also won the single distance title in the 1500m, thus becoming the most decorated youngsters at the ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships 2019. The Netherlands led the medal table in the ladies events and the Republic of Korea in the men's.

Win 2 Tickets to the ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships 2019, taking place in Neuchâtel, Switzerland on March 15 – 16, 2019!

Tears, cheers and a thrillingly chaotic climax bring curtain down in Inzell. Have a look at some of the highlights. 

With last week's ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating Final in Baselga di Piné, Italy, under their belt, the junior international speed skating prodigies are ready for their season's climax at the ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships at the same track this week. The Netherland's are favorite for all ladies' events, but they face tough Italian and Asian competition. In the men's events Norway and Russia are likely to take home the medal haul.

Thomas Krol (NED) won his career first World Single Distances Championships gold with an impressive track record in the 1500m in Inzell on Sunday, before Joey Mantia (USA) brought four days of thrilling competition to a close by retaining his Mass Start title with a spectacular display of wit and power in the final stages.

On an emotion-fuelled final day of the ISU World Single Distances Championships, Ireen Wüst (NED) won the 1500m in a track record time and tearfully dedicated her title to her friend and former World Allround champion Paulien van Deutekom, who died in January. Wüst's compatriot Irene Schouten won her career second world title in the Mass Start.

The Dutch dominated the men’s podium in Inzell on Saturday as Kai Verbij (NED) clinched the Netherlands’ first individual gold medal of the World Single Distances Championships. The European Sprint champion won the 1000m, with compatriots Thomas Krol and Kjeld Nuis collecting silver and bronze, before Jorrit Bergsma (NED) took gold in the 10,000m narrowly ahead of runner-up Patrick Roest (NED), with only bronze medallist Danila Smerikov (RUS) preventing an all-orange afternoon.

In a triumph for age and experience, veteran Martina Sáblíková (CZE) managed to fend off the challenge of 23-year-old Olympic champion Esmee Visser (NED) to win her tenth consecutive 5000m world title in Inzell on Saturday. Also on Day 3 of racing at the World Single Distances Championships, the Ladies’ 1000m was won by Brittany Bowe (USA), who left 500m aces Vanessa Herzog (AUT) and Nao Kodaira (JPN) behind to top the podium for the first time since 2015.