ISU

Heading into the final day in Hamar Nils van der Poel (SWE) said that 20 seconds would be very difficult to claw back in the 10,000m. After the 1500m, he had to make up 21 on Patrick Roest (NED). Somehow he pulled it off. Skating a new track record, Van der Poel dethroned three-time champion Roest to follow up two Olympic golds in Beijing with his career first World Allround title. Roest had to settle for silver and Bart Swings (BEL) took the bronze.

After being confirmed as the queen of Olympic Speed Skating with three gold medals and a bronze in Beijing, Irene Schouten (NED) added the Allround crown at the ISU World Championships in Hamar on Sunday. The 29-year-old Dutchwoman made up for what she lost in the shorter distances with unmatched performances in the endurance events to leave Miho Takagi (JPN) in second place and Antoinette de Jong (NED) in third. “I won it with my 3000m and 5000m of course,” Schouten said.

Patrick Roest (NED) came to Hamar to win his fourth consecutive World Allround Title but he is not getting things all his own way. Having bitten the dust against Nils van der Poel (SWE) in the 5000m and 10,000m at the Olympic Games in Beijing last month, the Dutchman again has a fight on his hands with his Swedish nemesis. Roest heads into the second day on top but Van der Poel is chasing in second place. After the Allround was done for the first day, Bjørn Magnussen, Henrik Fagerli Rukke and Håvard Lorentzen delighted the home crowd by winning the Team Sprint title ahead of Poland and the Netherlands.

In a classic fight between speed and stamina, Miho Takagi (JPN) struck hard in the 500m before Irene Schouten (NED) hit back with a track record in the 3000m. The pair set up an epic fight for the title and heading into the second day of the women’s Allround World Championships in Hamar, Takagi holds a 0.43-second advantage over her Dutch rival in Sunday’s 1500m. To conclude Saturday’s action the Dutch women finished ahead of Poland and Norway in the World Team Sprint.

“I think I’ve got the slowest opener of everyone who’s ever won the World Sprint Championships,” Thomas Krol (NED) laughed, with the gold medal around his neck in Hamar on Friday. The Dutchman came seventh and eighth in the 500m races but made up any lost ground in the 1000m on Thursday and Friday. Kai Verbij (NED) and Håvard Lorentzen (NOR) claimed silver and bronze respectively and they also had good 1000m races to thank. All three men paid tribute to Laurent Dubreuil (CAN), who led the standings after the first day but had to withdraw due to a positive Covid-19 test. 

Jutta Leerdam (NED) claimed her first World Sprint title at the ISU World Championships in Hamar on Friday. The 23-year-old Dutchwoman beat Femke Kok (NED) by 0.37s in the final 1000m to edge out her compatriot by 0.07 points in the overall classification. Vanessa Herzog (AUT) claimed bronze, 1.08 points off the winner. It was the first time on the World Sprint Championships podium for all three women.

Laurent Dubreuil (CAN) made his mark in the 500m but Thomas Krol (NED) hit back in the 1000m on the first day of the men’s Sprint Tournament at the ISU World Speed Skating Championships in Hamar. With a solid third place, Dubreuil managed to limit the damage in the 1000m and the Canadian heads into the second day as leader. Krol is second with Kai Verbij (NED) sitting third.

Jutta Leerdam and Femke Kok set up an exciting battle for the title on the first day of the ISU World Sprint Championships in Hamar on Thursday. After Kok had won the 500m and Leerdam the 1000m, the youngsters from the Netherlands were only 0.07 points apart, with Leerdam on top. Vanessa Herzog (AUT) is third after coming second in the 500m and fourth in the 1000m.

The ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Montreal, (CAN) have been postponed to April 8-10, 2022

Don’t miss any of the action from the season’s thrilling races from the ISU Speed Skating Championships 2021/22, which will be streamed live to all fans on the ISU Skating YouTube Channel. Make sure to subscribe to receive live stream notifications. Some geo-restrictions will apply on YouTube, but if you find yourself unable to watch the stream, check out one of the channels below to get access.

After the single distance specialists had their chance to shine at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games last month, versatility and consistency will be required over four distances at the ISU World Speed Skating Championships 2022 in Hamar. In the Allround tournaments short and long distance performances are added up in one overall ranking, and in the Sprint Championships Skaters have to perform well over the course of two 500m and two 1000m races.

Following the recent worldwide developments (Covid-19 pandemic and Ukrainian crisis), the ISU and Speed Skating Canada are currently considering a postponement of the ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Montreal, CAN from March 18-20, 2022, to the first part of April 2022.

The ISU Council reiterates its solidarity with all those affected by the conflict in Ukraine and our thoughts are with the entire Ukrainian people and country. The ISU Council reaffirms its full solidarity with the ISU Members in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Speed Skating Federation and the Ukrainian Figure Skating Federation. The ISU Council will evaluate possibilities for swift humanitarian assistance to its Ukrainian ISU Members. 

The ISU is witnessing with great disbelief the events unfolding in Ukraine and is deeply concerned about the safety of the skating family in Ukraine. Our hearts go out to all those affected and our thoughts are with the entire Ukrainian people and country. The ISU expresses its solidarity with all those affected by this conflict.

The ISU Council met on February 24, 2022 via an online meeting. The following were among the decisions taken by the Council during the meeting.