Xandra Velzeboer (NED) cemented her position as the women’s short tracker the rest of the best have to chase with another series of breathtaking skates as the third ISU World Tour event of the season came to an electrifying conclusion in Beijing, China.  

On a day in which the Dutch Lion roared to yet another 500m gold and showed her increasing powers of endurance in the 1500m, her two closest challengers in the ISU Crystal Globe standings, Choi Minjeong (KOR) and Kim Gilli (KOR), fell away. The pair of Korean White Tigers simply could not keep up. 

This left an opening, and Corinne Stoddard (USA) did not hesitate in grabbing it. The USA Eagle has long been threatening to jump up to the very top table and she did it in some style, leaving a stacked field in the 1500m gasping in her wake. 

Corinne Stoddard of the United States reacts after the women's 1500m at the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating in Beijing, China. © ISU

“I felt like I was the strongest one there,” said Stoddard. 

It sounded like a warning to her rivals as much as a celebration from the first-time gold medallist. But even Stoddard may accept – for the time being at least – that she will have to give top billing to Velzeboer. 

The heart of a Dutch Lion 

After Choi failed to progress from a quarter-final won at a canter by Velzeboer and Kim could not get out of her semi-final, the Dutchwoman lined up for the sprint final facing three Canadian Ice Maples, plus Stoddard’s fellow USA Eagle, Kristen Santos-Griswold. 

It has long been the case that if Velzeboer gets to the first corner of a 500m race in front, the race is hers. But despite the orange-clad star managing it in the Capital Indoor Stadium, the North Americans had other ideas. Pushing each other on, it was Florence Brunelle (CAN) who did what very few have managed, passing Velzeboer with just one-and-a-half laps to go. 

But it did not faze the Crystal Globe leader. 

“I was just really calm," Velzeboer said. "I saw her pass and I tried to give her as little room as possible and then keep my speed.

"I felt really confident that I would be able to pass back and I didn’t feel any stress at all actually. I know I can trust myself.” 

She certainly can. A pass back on the next corner left her with a clear run to the line and a third successive 500m World Tour win. 

The emotion then flowed for a racer who leaves Beijing with a gold, a silver (in the 1000m) and a fourth-place finish (1500m). It is her best individual World Tour haul. 

“I am not sure I had tears but I did feel very happy because it’s very tough on your body to skate this much in a weekend,” she said. “I don’t think I feel (invincible), it’s more that I am just really confident in my own capabilities. I do trust that if I feel mentally very good and ready to go, that I can win.” 

After starting the day with a 28-point cushion over Choi in the season-long race, Velzeboer has increased that advantage to a 124-point lead. 

Ice Maples keep flowering

The 20-year-old Brunelle can only dream of such figures but the former junior world champion joined the increasing number of skaters Velzeboer and others have to keep an eye on. 

A day after great friend and Beijing roommate Danae Blais (CAN) took a maiden World Tour title in the 1000m, Brunelle grabbed her first individual medal with silver in the 500m. 

“Seeing her do that definitely gave me the wings to be able to do what I did,” said the woman who now knows she can overtake Velzeboer. 

“To do it that first time, I was like ‘Oh sh*t, today I did it’. So maybe that’s why the corner after, she (Velzeboer) passed me again. It’s just a bit of experience I need, I would say that physically, I am there.” 

Rikki Doak (CAN) continued the rise of the Ice Maples by snatching bronze, her first individual podium place of the season. 

Florence Brunelle (CAN), Xandra Velzeboer (NED) and Rikki Doak (CAN) pose with their medals after the women's 500m at the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating at Capital Indoor Stadium. © ISU

Stoddard finds new standard

On a weekend of firsts, perhaps none was as warmly welcomed as Stoddard’s debut victory. Fifteen times the USA Eagle had finished on a world-level podium without ever climbing to the top step. And it was all these experiences that prompted the 23-year-old to turn her grimaces into gold.

“I worked so hard this summer, I really changed basically everything,” Stoddard said. “Last season, seeing myself on the podium so many times without pushing myself as hard as I could have done, I was like ‘what could I be if I push myself in training?’.” 

She finally found out in a 1500m final featuring Velzeboer, world champion Kim, and world championship medallists Hanne Desmet (BEL) and Courtney Sarault (CAN). 

“One lap to go, I was like I have this, I can do it," Stoddard said. "I felt so good at one lap to go and I was like I just have to pass one more person and I did it. I had an amazing race.” 

That, plus her bronze in Saturday’s 1000m and a victory in the 500m B final launched her into second place in the individual Crystal Globe standings. 

Meanwhile, efforts from the slightly lesser-known Canadian Ice Maples, Brunelle, Doak plus male skater Felix Roussel increased their lead at the top of the team rankings. 

ISU Crystal Globe standings: 

1. Xandra Velzeboer – 656 points

2. Corinne Stoddard – 532 points

3. Choi Minjeong – 516 points

ISU Team Crystal Globe standings: 

1. Canadian Ice Maples – 4640 points

2. Korean White Tigers – 3990 points 

3. Dutch Lions – 3149 points

About the ISU Short Track World Tour: Feel the Rush!

The ISU Short Track World Tour is a global series of six elite Short Track ice skating events, spanning across North America, Asia and Europe. With a focus on engaging fans in a brand-new dynamic and entertaining event experience through vibrant competitions, the ISU Short Track World Tour aims to elevate the sport and bring its explosive excitement to a worldwide audience.

With each race, skaters aim for the ultimate prize — the Crystal Globe—awarded to the top male and female skater who accumulate the most points throughout the Short Track World Tour. This is where the world’s best Short Track skaters meet to thrill audiences and Feel the Rush!