Relief was the overriding emotion for Belgian Ice Bear Hanne Desmet as she powered across the line to grab gold in the women’s 1000m, to light up the opening day of the ISU Short Track World Tour #3 in Gdansk, Poland on Saturday. 

Relief that her poor form so far this season was down to the footwear beneath her and not a sign that she, the reigning World 1000m Champion, had lost her edge at the worst possible moment. 

That victory ahead of the previously all-conquering Canadian Ice Maple Courtney Sarault confirmed that Desmet remains a huge medal threat as the season hurtles towards the Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina. 

For Sarault, another podium in what is already the season of her life maintained her dominance in the race to claim the ISU Crystal Globe - a race that will be come to a crescendo next weekend in World Tour #4 in Dordrecht, Netherlands. 

Not that Sarault’s nearest challenger Corinne Stoddard of the USA Eagles was too despondent. Third behind the resurgent Desmet and the confident Canadian, Stoddard felt only a last-lap slip had prevented her from claiming a second career World Tour gold. 

It proved a day for confidence building, with the Dutch Lions storming through the women’s 3000m relay heats, before leading in the final from the gun to the tape to claim a first team gold of the season. That more than compensated for several individual falls and a semi-final penalty, according to multiple world champion, Xandra Velzeboer. 

Desmet: ‘The good feeling is now confirmed’

There was no doubting the headline act of the day, however. No podium finishes in the first two World Tour stops in Montreal had left Belgium’s Desmet shaking her head and, thankfully, checking her equipment. 

“My boots are eight years old and they keep breaking,” Desmet explained, with a laugh.

“Right after Montreal we fixed them and I was like ‘Ah I can skate again, it wasn’t me’. Obviously, you get a bit like, ‘Oh sh*t, can I still do it?’. But my good feeling is now confirmed.

Hanne Desmet celebrates her 1000m win and shows off her trusty - and now repaired - boots with her Belgian Ice Bear team-mates. © ISU

“It’s a very weird boot. I have others but they don’t feel the way these do.  The front breaks or they get super loose. I saw a video of myself [in Montreal] where my leg was straight, and my boot was just like that [off to the side] because the boot was so loose. I couldn’t go fast. I couldn’t race that way.”

With the problem solved – for now at least – Desmet was back to her best. In a final featuring five other athletes, the Beijing 2022 Olympic 1000m bronze medallist kept herself out of trouble, tracking front-runner Stoddard. And just when the USA Eagle thought she had it, the Belgian Ice Bear swooped on the final lap, slipping down the inside track to finally ascend back to the top of the podium. 

“It’s been a bit rough at the beginning so I was really happy with that one,” Desmet said, before sharing a prayer that her beloved boots can “last one more season”. 

For rival Sarault, silver was a somewhat new sensation after a race in which she was unable to quite impose the power that has brought such success this season. 

“I just thought I'd grind and see what colour I could get,” said Sarault, who came from near the back to pip Stoddard on the line. 

“I felt like I had more in the tank but I just couldn't put anything into the ice. It's a little bit of a frustrating feeling, having legs but not being able to put it into the ice. 

“I'm happy with the silver but I would have done a few things different. Corie [Stoddard] was leading from the front to avoid the crashes. It's a hard ice to lead on, but it's also a hard ice to be in the back too. Slips, and bumps, I got passed almost at the apex. So, racing from the front might be the best vibe on this ice.” 

Canadian Ice Maple Courtney Sarault (left) saw her World Tour 1000m golden streak ended by Desmet. USA Eagle Corinne Stoddard (right) took the bronze. © ISU

Stoddard could not agree more. Front-running is what the ever-improving USA Eagle is known for, and while she has been attempting to add more strings to her race bow, the 24-year-old is in no doubt what strategy she will employ in Sunday’s 1500m. 

“I like being in front. I really thought I had that one. That second-to-last turn when I was still in front, I had a slip and that gave Hanne an advantage. And then Courtney’s legs are so long I can’t outstretch her,” she said, laughing. 

“No, that was unfortunate too. If I wouldn’t have had that slip, I would be wearing a gold not a bronze. 

“It’s obvious that I am strong enough to do it. It’s just things haven’t played out my way yet. But obviously I would rather it not to play out here and I would rather it play out in Milan.” 

Korean White Tiger Choi Min Jeong is one athlete who knows just what it will take to win in February’s Olympic Games. The reigning two-time 1500m Olympic gold medallist could not get a foothold in the 1000m final on Saturday, but she continues to edge back towards her best. 

Velzeboer: ‘We can be the best in the world’

Xandra Velzeboer has rarely looked anything but her best in the 500m this season, but the sprint sensation was overjoyed to finally find form with her teammates in the relay. 

One silver medal from two World Tour events was not the kind of return the Dutch Lions were looking for, but in Gdansk’s Hala Olivia arena, they roared once more. 

“We have been working very hard for this,” Velzeboer said of a race the women in orange controlled from start to finish. 

“We have been improving every time, we see we are doing better every race. We are super focused on things that we can do better so that we can be the best in the world. That’s the goal of course.”

Xandra Velzeboer led the dominant Dutch Lions to overdue relay glory after their struggles in the Montreal World Tour events. © ISU

Velzeboer herself was pushed all the way to the line by one of the best in the world – reigning ISU Crystal Globe holder Kristen Santos-Griswold.

“I think we are feeling really strong. We work really well together and support each other and I am expecting some good results at the Games,” said Santos-Griswold, who led the USA Eagles to silver ahead of bronze medallists Japan – with the in-form Canadian Ice Maples surprisingly penalised in Thursday’s quarter-finals.  

After injuring herself in the off-season, Santos-Griswold has taken time to find the form that won her the Crystal Globe. But along with the relay performance, the 24-year-old found plenty to smile about on the opening day in Gdansk.

“Definitely feeling more like myself,” she said. “Still just working on getting my head straight a little bit and not being so nervous. But I am definitely going into the races more relaxed and a little bit more confident and that’s definitely helping.” 

The Dutch Lions were delighted to be back on the top of the podium in the 3000m relay. USA Eagles pipped Japan to silver. © ISU

She and the rest of the best will go again in Sunday’s 500m, 1500m and mixed relay finals. Be sure to tune in.