Femke Kok (NED) is on fire. After her spectacular 500m World Record last week in Salt Lake City, she took her career-first 1000m World Cup gold to lead an orange podium sweep at the first day of the ISU World Cup in Calgary on Friday. Isabel Grevelt and Marrit Fledderus followed Kok’s lead in second and third.

Joy Beune (NED) retained the lead in the women’s 3000m with another solid performance, but Ragne Wiklund (NOR) got a lot closer than she did last week, trailing by less than a second.

World Record whirlwind doesn't slow Kok 

Kok felt as if she’d stepped out of a whirlwind when she got back on the ice in Calgary after her 500m World Record in Salt Lake City. 

“It was a weird week, because I got a lot of messages, so many people came to talk to me, and I did a lot of things for the media. Also, it was a dream to achieve a World Record, and then I had to move fast, because I needed to train, and then I needed to pack my stuff really quick, because the same evening, I flew to Calgary, and then now we are back racing again.”

The post-World Record hassle hasn't affected Kok’s racing, however. With a time of one minute and 12.36 seconds, she shaved another .07 seconds off the personal best she set in Salt Lake City last week. 

Femke Kok (NED) raced to her career-first 1000m title on Friday at the ISU World Cup event in Calgary (CAN). © ISU

“It felt better,” she said. “But the last crossing was a little bit difficult with (pairmate Rio Yamada). I doubted, is she going (to cross) in front of me, or is she going to go behind? And then I decided, okay, I need to cross in front, but I felt a little unsure, and I went into the last corner a little bit messy.”

Messy or not, Kok was .78 seconds faster than runner-up Grevelt. Winning her first 1000m World Cup gold meant a lot to the three-time 500m World Champion.

“I want to be fast (in the 1000m), too. A lot of people were thinking I could only skate fast (in the 500m).”

With the win, Kok took over the lead in the World Cup standings from Jutta Leerdam (NED).

Finishing second in Calgary, Grevelt also set a big personal best in 1:13.14. She had switched commercial teams twice after her first World Cup podium in 2022, and feels as if everything has finally fallen in place. 

Isabel Grevelt (NED) finished second in the 1000m in a personal best time of 1:13.14 at the ISU World Cup on Friday. © ISU

“I'm just very happy, because it was a roller-coaster last two years, switching teams, and last year didn’t go as I hoped. I’m relieved that I could do this today, because it was just a very hard job to fight against myself mentally. In my head, I just wasn’t happy, and it was a really big step to do something new again for a third time. So I’m really relieved that I am where I was three years ago (on the World Cup podium).”

It was the first World Cup podium for Fledderus, who finished .19 seconds behind Grevelt. She said she owed the bronze-medal performance to a mental step forward.

“I made a mental switch. I’m really calm, and I also work with a psychologist, so that helps a lot. I think it’s really important for skaters to get some help mentally.”

Marrit Fledderus (NED) jokes with gold-medallist Femke Kok on the ISU World Cup 1000m podium on Friday. © ISU

With last week’s winner Leerdam in fourth, Fledderus knows Olympic qualification is going to be a tough battle back home in the Netherlands, because the maximum number of skaters in the 1000m per country is three.

“It’s really hard, because in the Netherlands there are a lot of good skaters. It's important to show the best version of myself (at the Dutch Olympic trials in December).”

Beune overcomes evening nerves

Joy Beune (NED) continued her winning ways in the 3000m, but Ragne Wiklund (NOR) finished within a one-second-margin in second place — whereas Beune had a 2.84-second gap last week ahead of runner-up Valérie Maltais (CAN). Maltais was back on the podium in Calgary, holding on to third place after an exciting battle with fellow Canadian and Team Pursuit teammate Isabelle Weidemann.

Joy Beune (NED) secured her second-straight 3000m ISU World Cup title on Friday. © ISU

“The gap is smaller,” Beune acknowledged. “Last week my skating was better, but I can’t complain, because I won again today. Maybe it’s the conditions. I think more people are slower than last week, and I’m not much of an evening skater. It’s waiting all day long and then I start thinking, how do my legs feel? I was really relieved to finally be at that starting line, and just go.”

Wiklund finished .83 seconds behind Beune. In Salt Lake City, the Norwegian was 3.50 seconds behind in third. 

Ragne Wiklund (NOR) adopted a more patient approach in the 3000m on Friday and secured silver at the ISU World Cup. © ISU

“Last weekend wasn’t directly bad,” Wiklund said, “but it was just not feeling very well. So I wasn't completely sure exactly what to improve, but I tried to be a bit more patient in my movement today, and not to be afraid of the corners.

“At altitude it’s much faster, and I guess us Norwegians, we don't really skate that much on fast ice. So that first weekend (on fast ice) is always a bit difficult.”

Maltais was third in a personal best time of 3:56.45, beating Weidemann in a head-to-head battle.

Maltais started out faster, but halfway through the race she saw her lap-times going up, while Weidemann kept her pace. A 2.45-second margin Maltais held four laps into the 8.5-lap-race gradually shrank to .21 seconds at the finish line.

“I felt her coming,” Maltais said. “I was focusing on my technique and my execution, and trying not to panic, to keep riding and have trust in myself. It was close at the end, but I'm really happy that I was ready for it. I knew it was going to be tight. It was a good fight out there.”

Valérie Maltais (CAN) edged out teammate Isabelle Weidemann to earn bronze Friday at the ISU World Cup in Calgary. © ISU

Weidemann wasn’t even too disappointed. 

“I’m stoked to see Val get on the podium again this weekend," she said.

Being able to chase her teammate in the final laps gave Weidemann a boost.

“I've been struggling with that feeling the last few years. I was just not feeling like I had an extra gear on my last two laps, and that’s the way I'm used to skating, especially before 2022, that’s my negative split the last two laps. I’m starting to feel like that again.”