#SpeedSkating

At the start of the ISU World Cup Speed Skating event in Milwaukee, a moment of silence was observed to honor those lost in the American Airlines tragedy and their loved ones. ISU Representative Ms. Suwanna Silpa-Archa delivered a heartfelt speech, saying: “Tonight, we stand in solidarity — with our figure skating family and with U.S. Figure Skating. In this moment, in our hearts, we are all skaters.”

Francesca Lollobrigida (ITA), who won the 3000m, expressed her sympathy for the victims in a post-race interview: “Our hearts go out to the victims and the families.” As the track record tumbled in Milwaukee, Lollobrigida skated 3 minutes and 54.73s to beat the previous fastest time at the the Pettit National Ice center by over 10 seconds. In the 1000m, Miho Takagi (JPN) also broke the track record, winning the distance in 1 minute and 13.56s.

Lollobrigida takes it in final lap

Before the A Division races started in the late afternoon, the 3000m track record had already been broken already broken three times. Nikola Zdráhalová (CZE) came out on top in the B Division with a time of 4 minutes and 1.39s, 4.44s faster than the mark set by Heather Bergsma-Richardson (USA) in 2015.

In total, six B Division skaters and 15 out of 16 women in the A Division skated faster than the previous record.

Francesca Lollobrigida, at ISU European Speed Skating Championships earlier this month, attacked straight from the start in 3000m gold-medal performance. © ISU

Francesca Lollobrigida (ITA) ended up being the fastest of them all. The experienced Italian had decided to attack straight from the start.

“My plan was to escape my personal best,” she said. “I saw the times in the B Division, and I knew my personal best was pretty close.

“My start was really fast, maybe too fast according to Marchetto [coach Maurizio Marchetto], because he says that you pay in the end for what you skate in the beginning, but I was able to keep it up until the end.”

Lollobrigida indeed won with the fastest final lap of the field in 31.19s.

Behind the Italian, Ragne Wiklund (NOR) took silver in a personal best time of 3:54.86. The 24-year-old Norwegian started a little slower than Lollobrigida, but accelerated ferociously to set a faster split time at the 2600m line, only to pay for it with a 32.00s final lap.

“Maybe I accelerated a bit too much. When I went for it, I wanted to make sure that I made good pace in the inner lane and then I just kept the speed for a while and it really felt good.”

Norway’s Ragne Wiklund, at ISU European Speed Skating Championships earlier this month, was happy with her Milwaukee race. © ISU

Although Wiklund paid for her attack just one lap too early, she was happy with her race after a disappointing sixth place in Calgary last week.

Skating after Lollobrigida had already set her mark, Wiklund had not expected to come as close as she eventually did.

“She beat my personal best with the second, but I know that I'm in good shape, and I really wanted to get a good race after last weekend.”

Wiklund beat Joy Beune (NED), who finished on the podium in every World Cup race she skated this season.

“I think I finished on the podium in every race I started this season, actually,” Beune said in a post-race interview. “That’s something I’m really proud of.”

With 3:55.86, Beune came .14s short of her personal best. Despite maintaining her podium streak, she was a little disappointed.

Dutch skater Joy Beune, at ISU European Speed Skating Championships earlier this month, was a little disappointed with Friday's bronze-medal skate. © ISU

“Maybe I had hoped for a little more today. I was beaten by over a second and I don’t think that’s necessary. I didn’t really find my rhythm and was a little sloppy entering the corners,” Beune said.

“You can’t always throw a six. I can win a 5000m and I can win a 1500m, the 3000m is exactly in between, so in theory I should be able to win that, too.”

Beune did retain her lead in the long-distance World Cup ranking, with Wiklund in second place and Lollobrigida climbing to third.

Takagi keeps 1000m streak alive

After losing her 1500m winning streak in the World Cup to Beune last week, Miho Takagi (JPN) kept her golden 1000m streak alive with the fourth consecutive World Cup victory in the distance this season.

‘Cheeseheads’ podium for  women’s 1000m: Brittany Bowe, USA (silver), Miho Takagi, Japan (gold), Antoinette Rijpma-De Jong, Netherlands (bronze). © ISU

Just before Takagi took the ice, Jutta Leerdam (NED) had crashed right after the start of her race. The ice repair led to a little delay, but Takagi wasn’t too bothered.

“I focus on my own race, and it actually helped, because I saw that she stuck with the point of her skate in the ice and it made me aware to keep my feet up at the start,” she said.

“I’m happy about my result, but I’m not satisfied with the way I raced. There’s too much of a difference between my first full lap and my last lap.”

Despite her own discontent, Takagi’s final lap of 28.8s was still the fastest final lap of the field. With a time of 1 minute and 13.56s, she shaved .07s off the track record set by Brittany Bowe (USA) in 2022.

Bowe herself finished in 1:14.23 to take silver.

USA’s Brittany Bowe, skating at ISU World Cup Calgary last weekend, took silver in women’s 1000m in Milwaukee. © ISU

“I’d take that medal today over a track record any day,” Bowe said. “She [Talkagi] is obviously so deserving. She's been almost unbeatable in every race this year.

“I'm really, really happy today getting a silver medal. I have a ton of family and friends in the stands. So to be able to do that, enjoy it, and give them something to cheer about, it's really special.

“I've been pretty consistent the whole season. I definitely feel that I’m within striking distance.”

Bowe’s pair-mate Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong (NED) took the bronze medal in 1:14.44, making amends for a disappointing 12^th-place performance last week in Calgary.

“I was focused on my start, and it was my best ever. It was much better than last week. [Bowe] was a target in the first lap. I skated a very good race and that gives me a positive feeling towards the 1500m tomorrow.”

Milwaukee program

After Friday’s action, the Milwaukee World Cup will resume with the first of two 500m races and the 1500m for both genders on Saturday, while on Sunday both genders will compete in the Team Pursuit, the second 500m, to conclude with the Mass Start.

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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