Team USA gave the enthusiastic crowd everything they wanted on home ice at the ISU World Cup in Salt Lake City on Saturday. After winning the 1000m in a stunning world record time on Friday, Jordan Stolz (USA) added gold in the 500m and the 1500m, before Ethan Cepuran, Emery Lehman and Casey Dawson (USA) brought the men’s competition to a climax in the Team Pursuit. Not only did the USA beat Norway face-to-face, they also broke the world record their rivals had set just a few weeks ago at the European championships in Heerenveen.
One day after setting a 1000m world record, Jordan Stolz celebrated gold in the 500m and 1500m at the ISU World Cup in Salt Lake City, USA © ISU
Scrambling to a record
The ice was not optimal at the Utah Olympic Oval on Saturday, with the air pressure high due to weather conditions. The lower the air pressure is, the faster the ice. The fact Stolz was able to set a 1000m world record with that air pressure on Friday was “otherworldly”, sprinter Laurent Dubreuil (CAN) said.
Yet when Stolz takes the ice, the expectations are always high. On Saturday, he skated in the penultimate 1500m pairing. Ning Zhongyan (CHN) had set the fastest time so far in 1:41.78, but Stolz was almost a second faster. While he missed out on the world record by .70 seconds, he set a new American record in 1:40.87.
He hadn’t expected to set another world record.
“A lot of people are expecting a world record, but it’s not that easy. It’s still a really good race. The main thing I was focusing on is having a good opener and a fast first lap. I had an opener of 23.1, and then I felt like I carried the speed from the opener, but it's only a 24.9 (first full lap), and then I started scrambling after that. I just didn't have it in the first lap. I think the air pressure was also not great, so today would probably be like the hardest day to get the records.”
Stolz did erase the American record set by his friend and former coach, Shani Davis (USA), from the books. Stolz, who spoke to Davis on Friday night, said Davis was happy about it.
“He said if he wanted anybody to beat it, it would be me.”
Ning ended up in second place, while Wesly Dijs (NED) took bronze in 1:42.77. Ning was content with his result and could only watch Stolz in admiration.
“I'm second, so I'm happy with this result. The race was good, only .40 above my PB so very close. And Jordan? Oh my god, he is such a good skater, yesterday the world record (in the 1000m). He’s the world’s No. 1.”
Ning Zhongyan finished second to Jordan Stolz in the 1500m in Salt Lake City, USA © ISU
Dijs, too, was satisfied, especially given the venue.
“It’s my second time ever and the conditions were tough. I don’t know what the exact air pressure is, but the fact that Jordan doesn’t do a world record today says enough. My race was good, some little mistakes, but I focus on skating clean very much (on the fast ice) here and in Calgary. You get punished for every mistake, but if you maintain your technique well you’ll keep your speed despite getting tired.”
With one more World Cup race to go, Ning retained the lead in the 1500m classification, just 10 points ahead of Stolz in second. Patrick Roest (NED) dropped to third after finishing a disappointing 14th on Saturday.
Breaking the 34-second barrier
Just a little over an hour after the 1500m, Stolz put his skates back on for the 500m. Skating a personal best of 33.96 in the fifth of 10 pairs, the 19-year-old World Champion was the first and eventually only one to break the 34-second barrier on Saturday.
“I was surprised to get the 500m, especially to be the only one in 33 seconds. I for sure expected somebody else to go in 33, but I just gave it everything I had and didn't care, even if I was tired or not after the 1500m.”
Dubreuil came closest to Stolz, finishing in 34.05. The former World Champion skated against his good friend Yuma Murakami (JPN) in the final pairing, with Murakami taking bronze in 34.16.
Runner-up Laurent Dubreuil (right) and bronze medallist Yuma Murakami (right) after the 500m race in Salt Lake City, USA on Saturday © ISU
Having trained together in Dubreuil’s home town of Quebec, the sprinters know each other well, which helped Dubreuil when they came close to a collision going into the final straight.
“It was fun to skate against Yuma. He came out (of the corner) a bit wide in front of me, but he was a bit ahead. I didn't hesitate, I knew he would come a bit wide, and I was hoping that he wouldn't be right beside me. I stayed focused, and I knew with the speed I had that I was probably going to beat him at the line still.”
Murakami knew Dubreuil is faster in the final 200m and tried to make up the difference early on.
“Laurent is always very fast in the last corner, so I focused on a good first 300m. I hoped to catch Laurent (on the backstretch). My feeling was very good, but my last corner is always difficult. Today I did pretty well, but Laurent had an incredible last straight.”
Having skipped two World Cup races in December, Stolz is not in the mix for the 500m trophy. Despite finishing 10th on Friday, Wataru Morishige (JPN) retained the lead in the rankings, with Dubreuil and Murakami moving closer in second and third place. The final World Cup weekend in Quebec next week features two more 500m races.
Team Pursuit showdown
When Norway’s Peder Kongshaug, Sverre Lunde Pedersen and Sander Eitrem broke the USA’s Team Pursuit world record three weeks ago at sea level in Heerenveen, Lehman said it sent a message.
“We thought, okay, they went really fast and they did it at sea level, too. I was like, oh boy, I don't know if we're going to get this thing back.”
On home ice at the high-altitude Utah Olympic Oval, Lehman and teammates Cepuran and Dawson were looking for revenge. They got lucky and drew their nemesis in the second of three pairings and thrived on the waves of the home crowd. Leaving Norway behind from the start, they finished in 3:33.66, shaving .56 seconds off Norway’s record.
Casey Dawson, Emery Lehman and Ethan Cepuran celebrate their Team Pursuit world record at the ISU World Cup in Salt Lake City, USA © ISU
Dawson said it was great to regain the record at home.
“Seeing (Norway) break the world record, we knew it was inevitable, because we had the world record previously for three years. We knew it was going to happen at some point. But I think being on home ice it gives the adrenalin. All those factors combined allowed us to have a race that connected perfectly throughout the eight laps, and 3.33.66 at the end of the race was amazing. We didn't really expect it.”
Cepuran credited the team.
“It's so hard, you’re going so fast for so long. You have two other guys skating with you, you don't want to let them down, don't want to let yourself down. In a way you're able to push beyond because you’re doing something greater than yourself.”
Thanks to their win in the third and final race of the season, the USA also won the Team Pursuit World Cup Trophy, ahead of Norway and Italy (Andrea Giovannini, Michele Malfatti, Davide Ghiotto), who also finished third Saturday in 3:36.69.
Italy finished third on Saturday and third in the Team Pursuit World Cup standings © ISU
Norway’s Kongshaug thought getting used to skating at altitude affected his team’s performance in Salt Lake City.
“It was a tough day in total. I felt really bad after the 1000m yesterday, which usually is a pretty easy distance for me. So the whole night I had a headache and everything. I think it's the altitude we're not used to, but I'm really proud of the team, because I think we didn't feel great. Sander was just a monster in the front. I felt like he could almost drop me off in the last lap.”
Norway lost the Team Pursuit world record they set just three weeks ago at Thialf in Heerenveen © ISU
Kongshaug was already looked forward to the World Single Distance Championships in Calgary next month.
“I think the experience of taking the world record in Thialf was maybe the greatest I've had in my career. I never regretted going that fast and I also think that that race maybe was the best race that's been skated in the Team Pursuit. I don’t think we have lost that level in three weeks, so I feel confident that we will bounce back in Calgary.”
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ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating Series events 2023/24:
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