With the continental Championships in the books, international Speed Skating continues with the season’s fifth and penultimate World Cup leg in Salt Lake City. After many personal and national best times during the ISU Four Continents Championships at the Utah Olympic Oval last week, the World Cup promises to be even faster and more competitive now that the European contingent is back in the mix. A double 1000m will be the main ingredient of a spectacular weekend, that concludes with the new Mixed Gender relay, which features in the World Cup program for the second time.
European Champion Kjeld Nuis is hoping to star in the 1000m double header at Salt Lake City, USA © ISU
Two chances in the 1000m
One of the most noticeable performances at last week’s World Cup was the national record Jordan Stolz (USA) set in the 1000m. The 19-year-old World Champion completed the race in 1:06.27, shaving 0.15 off the legendary previous record set by Shani Davis on 7 March 2009 at the same rink. That mark also stood as a world record for exactly ten years, before Kjeld Nuis (NED) broke it in 2019.
Jordan Stolz set a new USA record on the way to 1000m gold at the 2024 Four Continents in Salt Lake City, USA © ISU
At this weekend’s World Cup program, the 1000m will be skated twice. Both Four Continents Champion Stolz and European Champion Nuis will probably start with the world record in the back of their mind.
After skating his national record last week, Stolz was convinced he could go faster:
“It was more like kind of like a training race, it’s obviously not as important as the World Cups,” he said afterwards.
Jordan Stolz has the 1000m world record in his sights after winning 2024 Four Continents gols in Salt Lake City, USA © ISU
Stolz and Nuis are not the only strong Skaters in the 1000m. Ning Zhongyan (CHN) leads the World Cup ranking, and Japan fields three Skaters, with Masaya Yamada, who won the first World Cup at home in Obihiro this season, Taiyo Nonomura, who came second behind Stolz in a Japanese record at the Four Continents Championships, and Tatsuya Shinhama, who took Four Continents bronze last week.
Taiyo Nonomura took silver behind Stolz in the 2024 Four Continents 1000m in Salt Lake City, USA © ISU
De Boo faces Four Continents Challenge
Another Skater to look out for is Jenning de Boo (NED). The nineteen-year-old Dutchman has rapidly improved throughout his first international senior season, winning 1000m silver and 500m gold at the European Championships three weeks ago. The Dutch prodigy has never skated on the fast Salt Lake City surface before.
European Champion Jenning de Boo will skate on the fast ice of Salt Lake City, USA, for the first time © ISU
As the European 500m champion, de Boo faces an uphill battle versus the sprinting powerhouses from the other Four Continents.
After retaining the Four Continents 500m title last week, Laurent Dubreuil (CAN) said:
“In most distances Europeans are much stronger, but in the Four Continents {Championships] the 500m for men and also for women is really stronger."
2024 Four Continents 500m Champion Laurent Debrueil will go for gold again in Salt Lake City, USA © ISU
The top six of the World Cup ranking all come from outside Europe; the Japanese trio of Wataru Morishige, Yuma Murakami and Tatsuya Shinhama are first, third and fourth in the World Cup, with Dubreuil sitting in second.
Record racing for Roest and Bloemen
Squeezed in between the 1000m races on Friday and Sunday, the middle distance specialists will skate the 1500m on Saturday.
Ning Zhongyan (CHN) also leads the 1500m World Cup ranking, and he’ll again face the challenge of Stolz and Nuis in the King’s race. Patrick Roest (NED) is second in the World Cup ranking and as a long distance specialist, he approaches the 1500m differently. Based on stamina rather than speed, he’s already come close to a first international win in the middle distance this season.
World Cup 1500m leader Ning Zhongyan returns to action in Salt Lake City, USA © ISU
Roest’s main focus, however, will be the 5000m on Sunday, a distance he has won every race in this season. He’s set his sights on the Dutch record of 6:03.32 by the legendary Sven Kramer (NED), which also stood as a world record for ten years untill Ted-Jan Bloemen (CAN) broke it in 2017.
European 5000m Champion Patrick Roest is targeting the Dutch record in Salt Lake City, USA © ISU
Bloemen himself set his sights on the Salt Lake City double header to reconquer the world record, that’s currently in the hands of the retired Nils van der Poel (SWE) who skated 6:01.56 in Salt Lake City on 3 December 2021.
Takagi-Leerdam battle
In the women’s field the double 1000m will revive the battle between Olympic Champion Miho Takagi (JPN) and World Champion Jutta Leerdam (NED). The latter has won two World Cup races compared to the former’s one World Cup gold, but Takagi leads the overall standings because Leerdam skipped December’s World Cup in Poland.
World Champion Jutta Leerdam will renew her 1000m rivalry with Miho Takagi in Salt Lake City, USA © ISU
Last weekend Takagi won the 1000m in 1:12.35, still 0.74 off the world record set by Brittany Bowe (USA) in 2019. Bowe herself just missed out on the Four Continents podium, coming in fourth behind bronze medalist Kim Min Sun (KOR). Kimi Goetz (USA) took silver.
Miho Takagi returns to the scene of her 1000m Four Continents triumph in Salt Lake City, USA © ISU
Kim and Goetz are also in the mix for 500m gold, but they both had to bow to Olympic Champion and World Cup leader Erin Jackson (USA) at the Four Continents.
Takagi will also skate the 1500m on Saturday, when she’ll face more challengers than in the 1000m. Alongside Bowe and Goetz, China’s Han Mei and the Dutch trio of Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong, Marijke Groenewoud and Joy Beune, are all chasing the Japanese World Cup leader.
In the 3000m, Olympic Champion Irene Schouten (NED), who’s had a season of ups and downs so far, will take on World Champion and World Cup leader Ragne Wiklund (NOR).
World Cup 3000m leader Ragne Wiklund is the favourite for gold in Salt Lake City, USA © ISU
Team Pursuit decisions
Saturday’s Team Pursuit will be decisive for the World Cup Trophy, as it’s the third and final race of the season. In the men’s competition, all eyes will be on the battle between Norway and the United States, who have won one race each. Three weeks ago, Norway set a world record at the European Championships in sea-level Heerenveen, which the American men, despite winning the Four Continents title, were not able to match at high-altitude Salt Lake City.
Norway set a Men's Team Pursuit world record at the 2024 European Championships in Heerenveen, Netherlands © ISU
In the women’s Team Pursuit, Japan leads the World Cup rankings after two wins, but Canada got their golden Olympic line-up back together to win the Four Continents last week. The Netherlands won the European title three weeks ago, but they’re tenth in the World Cup ranking after a disqualification at World Cup four and their qualification for the World Single Distance Championships is in jeopardy.
Canada's Olympic Champion line-up won 2024 Four Continents Team Pursuit gold in Salt Lake City, USA © ISU
‘Hard, fun and unique’ Mixed Gender relay concludes competition
The Salt Lake City World Cup will conclude with the Mixed Gender relay, a new event which appeared on the Speed Skating calendar for the first time at the season-opening World Cup in Obihiro. After three spectacular, slightly chaotic, but very entertaining heats, Femke Kok and Wesly Dijs (NED) ended up with the gold medal.
The new Mixed Gender Relay has its second outing in Salt Lake City, USA, this weekend © ISU
Despite the chaos, all skaters were enthusiastic about the new event. Dijs said:
“I think it’s a fun event with a lot of potential for the future, but it’s still a work in progress.”
Kok agreed: “All-in-all it was a fun experience and it definitely has a bright future.”
Kimi Goetz, who took bronze with Conor Mcdermott-Mostowy (USA) said:
“It’s hard, it’s fun, it’s unique. It’s fun to skate with a teammate you never get to skate with. It’s different, but like all new things, it needs to be ironed out.”
Salt Lake City program
The Salt Lake City World Cup will start with the first 1000m for both genders, the women’s 3000m and the men’s Mass Start on Friday. The Saturday program features the 500m, 1500m and Team Pursuit for both genders, and the event concludes with the second 1000m for both genders, the men’s 5000m, the women’s Mass Start and the mixed gender relay.
For all information about the ISU World Cup Speed Skating Series, please visit the webpage here.
World Cup Standings - Men
World Cup Standings - Women
All Media Accreditations details and deadlines for the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating Series can be found here.
Where to watch
Viewers will be able to watch the World Cup sessions via their national broadcaster/channel.
For countries where there are no broadcasters, the ISU will offer a live stream with English commentary on the Skating ISU YouTube Channel. You will find the full list on the Where to watch webpage here.
Subscribe to the ISU YouTube Channel to receive all the latest videos and follow the conversation with #SkatingSkating.
ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating Series events 2023/24:
Nov 10 - 12, 2023 Obihiro /JPN
Nov 17 - 19, 2023 Beijing /CHN
Dec 01 - 03, 2023 Stavanger /NOR
Dec 08 - 10, 2023 Tomaszów Mazowiecki /POL
Jan 26 - 28, 2024 Salt Lake City /USA
Feb 02 - 04, 2024 Québec /CAN
Stay connected with the ISU:
ISU Website: ISU News
ISU World Cup Speed Skating Series
ISU Newsletter: Subscribe to our weekly Newsletter to get the latest news and press releases
