SPEED SKATING
Junior Speed Skating season comes to a climax in Collalbo
06 Feb 2025
After an exciting third installment of the 2024/25 ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating last weekend in Collalbo, Italy, the international junior and neo-senior skaters gear up for the pinnacle of their season. This weekend’s ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships will also be held at Collalbo’s scenic Ritten Arena.
Rosner and Mazur chase Daleman legacy
Still junior-eligible, last year’s women’s champion, Angel Daleman (NED), has already made the leap to the senior ranks this season. After dominating the ISU World Junior Championships with five individual gold medals, she burst onto the senior ISU World Cup stage like a comet, capturing bronze in both the 1000m and 1500m in Beijing (CHN) last December.
Jeannine Rosner (AUT) seems to be Daleman’s most likely successor among the junior ranks. The 18-year-old Austrian won the 1000m, the 1500m and the 3000m at last week’s ISU Junior World Cup. She ended up on top of the World Cup ranking in both the 1500m and the 3000m, coming second behind Hanna Mazur (POL) in the 1000m.
Jeannine Rosner (AUT) in action at the recent ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating in Collalbo, Italy © ISU
Mazur is Rosner’s closest rival for the women’s Allround title, and she’s the outright favorite for the Mass Start gold having won two of the three races in the discipline at the ISU Junior World Cup, and finished second in the other.
Mazur also won the women’s 1000m World Cup ranking.
Hanna Mazur (POL) competes on home ice at the ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating in Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Poland © ISU
The 500m was dominated this season by skaters from the Republic of Korea. Jung Huidan and Lee Jein (KOR) took first and second place in the standings for the shortest distance.
Jilek flies back in bid for title
Finn Sonnekalb (GER) dominated the men’s ISU Junior World Cup in the 1000m and 1500m this season.
Germany's Finn Sonnekalb at last week's ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating in Collalbo, Italy © ISU
When it comes to the allround title, his biggest rival will probably be Metoděj Jílek (CZE). The 18-year-old skater from Czechia grabbed the silver medal in the 10,000m at the senior ISU World Cup in Calgary (CAN) two weeks ago.
Jílek decided to skip the senior ISU World Cup in Milwaukee (USA) last weekend to prepare for the ISU World Junior Championships.
“Last year I was second,” Jilek said. “I don’t have the World Junior title yet, so I hope I can win it this year.”
Metoděj Jílek (CZE) races during the ISU World Cup Speed Skating in Nagano, Japan © ISU
Cho Yeongjun (KOR) came out on top of this year’s men’s 500m World Cup rankings, but Canada’s Jalen Doan (CAN), who did not participate in the first two ISU World Cups, won last week in Collalbo.
Program
The 2025 ISU Junior World Speed Skating Championships will be held on Friday 7, Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 February.
Competition starts with the 500m, 1500m and Team Sprint and the Mass Start semi-finals for all categories on Friday. On Saturday all categories will skate the 1000m, while the women skate the 3000m, and the men the 5000m. On Sunday the event concludes with the Team Pursuit, Team Sprint, and Mass Start finals for all categories.
Apart from the individual World titles in the single distances, there are also Allround titles at stake.
The men’s classification is determined by an accumulated points total after the 500m, 1500m, 1000m and 5000m. The women’s Allround tournament comprises the 500m, 1500m, 1000m and 3000m.
Eligibility
Participation in the ISU Junior World Speed Skating Championships is open to Juniors A and B, born in the period 1 July 2005 – 30 June 2009.
Further information
More details on the ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships are available here.
