Peder Kongshaug (NOR) edged out his idol Kjeld Nuis (NED) to take his career first individual international title in the 1500m at the ISU European Speed Skating Championships in Heerenveen on Sunday. In the 500m Jenning de Boo (NED) also took his maiden title, ahead of Marten Liiv (EST) and Marek Kania (POL). Bart Swings (BEL) concluded the tournament with a powerful sprint to seize his third straight European title in the Mass Start.
Peder Kongshaug celebrates his maiden European 1500m title in Heerenveen, Netherlands © ISU
Kongshaug beats idol
Kongshaug started against Hendrik Dombek (GER) in the third last pairing of the 1500m, before Patrick Roest (NED) took on Wesly Dijs (NED). Defending champion Nuis faced Sander Eitrem (NOR) in the final pair.
After beating Jordan Stolz (USA) at the World Cup in Poland last month, Kongshaug realized he was one of the contenders for European gold in Heerenveen, even with Nuis missing Tomaszów Mazowiecki through illness. He admitted:
“I was so nervous, Jesus, it's nerve wracking to be skating here and also you have a thought in your mind that maybe it's possible to win.”
The 22-year-old Norwegian kept his composure, however, stopping the clock at 1:44.25 after a well-balanced race.
Peder Kongshaug took European 1500m gold in a time of 1:44:25 in Heerenveen, Netherlands © ISU
Roest started slower than the youngster. As an endurance specialist, the Dutch 5000m champion kept the best for the last. Heading into the final lap he was over a second behind Kongshaug’s split, but at the finish line he only finished 0.15 short of first place.
In contrast, Nuis started faster than Kongshaug and went into the final lap with a 0.11 lead over the Norwegian, only to lose it on the final straight. The experienced Dutchman, who already won the 1000m on Friday, came up 0.09 short. He said:
“I’m gutted. I wanted to take that double, and I surely could have. It’s such a pity to lose it like this. I’m ahead throughout the race and I completely mess up my final straight, rookie mistake. I just stop skating too early.
“A title is a title and if you win two titles, you just show you’re the best over the whole weekend. And winning the 1500m is even a little bit better than the 1000m. It’s the king’s race, everything comes together, speed and stamina.”
Defending European 1500m champion Kjeld Nuis had to settle for silver in Heerenveen, Netherlands © ISU
Although he blamed himself for losing, Nuis also praised his opponent, 12 years his junior:
“He skates a super solid race. He can do it all, his 25.6 first full lap is brave. He is a well-deserved winner and I deserved to lose.”
Beating the Olympic Champion was special for Kongshaug. He explained:
“Before the race, I knew it was going to be a tight one, especially with Kjeld. To be able to beat him here at his home ground is really special for me.I've always seen him as an idol. He’s been the best, best throughout my career and as long as I watch Speed Skating."
Peder Kongshaug (centre) was thrilled to beat idol Kjeld Nuis (left) to 1500m gold in Heerenveen, Netherlands © ISU
It’s Kongshaug’s second gold medal of the tournament, after winning the Team Pursuit event with Norway on Friday.
“That was just unbelievable, to be able to set a world record here with the Team Pursuit team. Then I I knew we were all in good shape.”
Roest eventually had to settle for bronze. He said:
“I hadn’t expected to be that close. After my opener of 24.3, I thought I could do well, but then my first full lap was too slow. After that I gave it everything, and I still got close. I’ve never won a 1500m internationally, so I have to be glad, but being that close, you still want to win of course.”
Patrick Roest won European 1500m bronze in Heerenveen, Netherlands © ISU
De Boo completes medal set in 500m
After silver in the 1000m on Friday and bronze in the Team Sprint on Saturday, Jenning de Boo (NED) completed the European medal set at his maiden international tournament grabbing gold in the 500m on Sunday. The 19-year-old Dutchman completed the distance in 34.48 and left his rivals far behind.
Marten Liiv (EST) came second in 34.78 and Marek Kania (POL) took his first individual international podium with bronze in 34.86.
Jenning de Boo won 500m gold to round off a successful European Championships debut in Heerenveen, Netherlands © ISU
De Boo, who surprisingly won both the 500m and the 1000m at the Dutch national championships in December to qualify for the European Championships, fully enjoyed the experience of skating in front of 10,000 cheering fans in the stands.
Jenning de Boo celebrates his European 500m win in front of his home fans in Heerenveen, Netherlands © ISU
“It’s very special and the crowd only adds to that feeling,” he said.
“I saw people holding up banners with my name. One read: ‘Go, go, go, de Boo’ - that’s just fun. It’s great, but it’s also been a very busy week. There’s so much attention, which also costs a lot of energy and that made this weekend maybe even more stressful for me.”
For Liiv, silver came somewhat as a surprise. He said:
“I had a good race. Because I did my fastest opener, and I kept going to the last inner corner, so I got more speed than normally and also the last straight was really, really strong.”
It felt like redemption after missing the podium by a 0.21 margin in his favored 1000m:
“This was a well-deserved reward after the 1000m, because I was quite disappointed. The 1000m is my distance and I had high expectations.”
Marten Liiv took silver in the 500m at the 2024 Europeans in Heerenveen, Netherlands © ISU
Bronze medalist Kania skated in the final pairing, which made it more difficult for him.
“It wasn't so easy. After the draw yesterday I knew I would be in the last one and I was a bit stressed, because I prefer to skate in the first half [of the schedule], because then you don't think about [the times]. But I worked with psychology to manage stress.
"I have to mostly focus on what I can do in the race. In the end, I don't compete with them, but with the other skaters, but with the time. I have to do it myself.This was one of my dreams and one of my goals. It felt like I was in shape this weekend, so I just needed to show what I can do.”
Marek Kania skated to European 500m bronze in Heerenveen, Netherlands © ISU
Swings makes it three in a row
Bart Swings (BEL) is the best Mass Start skater in history, but he doesn’t take anything for granted. After an eventful race, with Bart Hoolwerf (NED) crashing out together with the French duo of Timothy Loubineaud and Mathieu Belloir, the Belgian veteran confidently left Gabriel Odor (AUT) and Allan Dahl Johansson (NOR) behind in the final sprint. He said:
“I was a bit stressed beforehand. I knew that I did not want to get closed in, and I had to start the sprint in time, which I managed to.
“I knew that Bart [Hoolwerf] had crashed, but then there’s still two Italians [Andrea Giovannini andDaniele Di Stefano], who are very strong, and Livio Wenger (SUI) too. I still had to do it.
Bart Swings crosses the line to take European Mass Start gold in Heerenveen, Netherlands © ISU
But the Italians and Wenger did not end on the podium, and Swings took full advantage of teammate Indra Médard's support.
“That was perfect,” Swings said. “When Hoolwerf crashed Marcel Bosker (NED) stopped making pace. In the past I would have been the one to maintain the pace, but now I could tell Indra to keep it up for the sprint. That was perfect.”
Victory in Heerenveen, Netherlands, is Bart Swings' third consecutive European Mass Start title © ISU
For Gabriel Odor (AUT), it was his first podium at an international championships. He said:
“It was a great race. I knew I was in shape already after a solid 1500m today. My goal for the final sprint was to be behind Bart Hoolwerf and go for the final sprint, to the draft and just go with him but he fell.
“Plans change quickly, so I was like, I knew now to go full for the last lap and I had a good position. And I think everybody was a bit tired. It was at the end a pretty quick race. And I could hold very well the last inner corner, so I had some overspeed and I managed to get second.”
European Mass Start bronze in Heerenveen, Netherlands, is Gabriel Odor's (right) first international medal © ISU
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