After the first two legs in Japan and China in the first half of the season, the ISU World Cup Speed Skating series resumes with a long distance weekend in Calgary, Canada. It’s the only World Cup of six in which the longest official distance is on the program, with the 5000m for women on Friday and the 10,000m for men on Saturday. The high-altitude Olympic Oval provides Davide Ghiotto (ITA) with a chance to take on the world record.

Davide Ghiotto (ITA) has already skated faster than the current 10,000m world record this season, but his time of 12 minutes, 26.30s, recorded at an international invitation race in Inzell, Germany on 26 October 2024, did not meet the criteria for the time to stand as an official world record.

Davide Ghiotto (ITA) at the 2024 ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships in Calgary, Canada © ISU

The official mark is 12:30.74, set by the now-retired Nils van der Poel (SWE) at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing (CHN). At the ISU European Allround Championships in Heerenveen, the Netherlands, earlier this month, Ghiotto won the 10,000m in 12:35.96 on the sea-level track Thialf – officially the fastest time of the season so far.

Two hands on the back

Ghiotto is not the only long-distance specialist who may be able to break Van der Poel’s world record. Chris Huizinga (NED) skated a personal best of 12:39.87 at the Dutch Allround Championships this season. Due to a false start in the 500m at the ISU European Allround Championships, Huizinga was not able to compete with Ghiotto in the 10,000m. He will be looking forward to seeking redemption in Calgary.

Last season, Huizinga introduced a new strategy in the long distances: the Dutchman accidently discovered he was faster when he skated with two hands on the back throughout the entire race.

Game-changer: Chris Huizinga (NED) skates with two hands on his back in March 2024 in Inzell, Germany © ISU

Normally, long-distance skaters used to skate the straights with two hands on the back, swinging through the corners with only their left hand in that position. As he tired in a 5000m race in 2023, Huizinga decided to keep both hands on the back in the final laps, only to find out that his lap times went down. The same thing occurred in a 10,000m race and Huizinga decided to proceed racing with two hands on the back in all his races.

Last season, other skaters started copying Huizinga’s new strategy. Although it cost some skaters time and effort to adapt, most admitted that two hands on the back proved faster eventually. Ghiotto skated his Inzell mark with both hands on the back the entire race. 

Ted-Jan Bloemen (CAN), who holds the Calgary track record, 12:33.75, has also turned to the new strategy. The 2018 Olympic 10,000m champion is also among the contenders in Calgary.

Unofficial Junior world record

Although the 10,000m is not an official junior distance, Czech Metoděj Jílek has set his sights on the unofficial Junior world record in this event at the Olympic Oval. At 18, the long-distance specialist remains eligible to compete as a junior. With 12:46.56, Jílek has this season already skated under the world's fastest junior mark but, like Ghiotto’s, his time in Inzell was not officially recognized.

Sigurd Henriksen (NOR) still holds the unofficial junior world record with 13:02.53, skated in Calgary at the World Cup in 2022. 

Wiklund and Conijn fastest in 5000m

In the women’s field, Ragne Wiklund (NOR) moved to the top of the long distance World Cup standings after coming second in the 3000m in Nagano (JPN) and winning the distance in Beijing (CHN). The Norwegian also won the 3000m and the 5000m at the ISU European Championships in Heerenveen two weeks ago, 1.62 seconds ahead of Merel Conijn (NED).

Ragne Wiklund (NOR) points the way at the ISU European Speed Skating Championships in Heerenveen, Netherlands, two weeks ago © ISU

At the Dutch Allround Championships in December, the Dutch prodigy set the fastest 5000m time of the season so far, a personal best of 6:48.96. In the Japan and China World Cups, Conijn was unable to compete for the medals, however, and sits seventh in the long distance World Cup rankings.

Joy Beune (NED) is in second place behind Wiklund. The reigning world champion in the women’s longest distance hopes to find redemption after just missing out on the European Allround title, when she got edged out by Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong (NED) two weeks ago in Heerenveen. 

Looking at the women’s 5000m season times, the world record seems to be a lofty target in Calgary. The 2020 Salt Lake City time of 6:39.02 by Natalya Voronina (RUS) is almost ten seconds faster.

Who’s first to beat Stolz?

While Calgary’s main course will comprise the long distances, the shorter distances are attractive side dishes too. In the men’s field, Jordan Stolz (USA) goes undefeated in the 500m, the 1000m and the 1500m after the first two World Cups.

Leading the field: Jordan Stolz (USA) at the ISU World Cup Speed Skating in Beijing, China, earlier this season © ISU

Newly crowned European sprint champion Jenning de Boo (NED) challenges his North American peer in both the 500m and the 1000m, while Canada’s Laurent Dubreuil hopes to make his mark in the distances on home ice. Japan’s Tatsuya Shinhama (JPN) is another contender in the 500m and the 1000m, while Ning Zhongyan (CHN) and Kjeld Nuis (NED) take on Stolz in the 1000m and the 1500m.

Takagi versus Leerdam

Miho Takagi (JPN) reigns supreme in the middle distances so far this season. The Japanese ace goes undefeated in the 1000m and the 1500m, with Beune, Rijpma-de Jong and Han Mei (CHN) as her main challengers in the 1500m.

Japan's Miho Takagi competes during the ISU Speed Skating World Cup in Beijing, China, earlier this season © ISU

In the 1000m, Jutta Leerdam (NED), hopes to finally be able to match Takagi. The two-time world champion is second in the 1000m World Cup rankings, after struggling to find the right blades and shoes earlier in the season.

Jutta Leerdam (NED) at the recent ISU European Speed Skating Championships in Heerenveen, Netherlands © ISU

Although she had still been experimenting with her boots and blades, Leerdam managed to beat Femke Kok and Suzanne Schulting (NED) to win the European Sprint title two weeks ago.

While the Dutch women didn’t seem to have much trouble keeping the rest of the field at arm’s length at the European Sprint Championships, sprinting for the World Cup is a different story.

With American stars Erin Jackson, Kimi Goetz and Brittany Bowe lining up, as well as the Republic of Korea’s Kim Min Sun, the short distances are going to be very competitive.  

Canadians looking for home glory

Skating on home ice, the Canadian team comprises 28 skaters, of whom many have already collected the famous white cowboy hat bestowed upon all medal winners at the podium ceremony in Calgary.

Home skaters to look out for are Ted-Jan Bloemen (CAN) and Graeme Fish (CAN) in the men’s 10,000m, Laurent Dubreuil (CAN) in the 500m, and the men’s Team Sprint squad.

In the women’s field Ivanie Blondin (CAN) will skate the 5000m, the 1500m, the Mass Start and the Team Sprint, a medal contender in all of those events.

Canada's Valerie Maltais (white armband), Ivanie Blondin (red) and Isabelle Weidemann (yellow) in the Women's Team Pursuit at the 2024 ISU Four Continents Speed Skating Championships in Hachinohe, Japan © ISU

Isabelle Weidemann (CAN) goes in the 5000m and is on her way back up, sitting fourth in the long distance rankings after a third-place finish in the 3000m at the Beijing ISU Speed Skating World Cup in November, while Valérie Maltais (CAN) is third in the Mass Start standings after a strong second-place finish in Beijing.

Calgary program

The ISU Speed Skating World Cup in Calgary will start with the women’s 5000m, the men’s 1500m and the women’s 1000m on Friday. The Saturday program comprises women‘s 1500m, the men’s 1000m, and the men’s 10,000m, while on Sunday both genders will compete in the 500m and the Mass Start, to conclude with the Team Sprint.  

ISU World Cup Speed Skating Series events 2024/25:

Nov 22  - 24, 2024                     Nagano / JPN 

Nov 29 - Dec 01, 2024              Beijing / CHN

Jan 24 - 26, 2025                      Calgary  CAN

Jan 31 - Feb 02, 2025               Milwaukee / USA

Feb 21 - 23, 2025                      Tomaszów Mazowiecki / POL

Feb 28 - Mar 02, 2025               Heerenveen / NED

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