SPEED SKATING
Kongshaug (NOR) takes 1500m title in front of home crowd
16 Mar 2025
Peder Kongshaug (NOR) won his career-first World title on Sunday, edging out defending champion Jordan Stolz (USA) in the 1500m. Stolz took silver, while Connor Howe (CAN) seized bronze to collect his first individual medal at an ISU World Single Distances Championships. Wrapping up the men’s events on the final day of competition in Hamar, Davide Ghiotto (ITA) won his third consecutive 10,000m title.
Redemption for Kongshaug
By winning the 1500m World title, Peder Kongshaug (NOR) added to his 2024 European and Norwegian national titles in the distance.
“It's hard to describe,” he said coming off the podium. “(Skating) has been all my life, the last five to 10 years, and now I grabbed all the three titles.”
Peder Kongshaug (NOR) acknowledges the supportive fans at Vikingskipet after taking the 1500m lead Sunday at the ISU World Single Distances Championships. © ISU
It was redemption of sorts for Kongshaug, who crashed out of the Team Pursuit at the Vikingskipet on Friday. Not only did he end Norway’s chances of winning a medal on home ice, he also hurt himself. Kongshaug explained:
“Yesterday, I thought that everything I had trained for was gone, because my hip hurt so bad I couldn’t sleep. But with some painkillers and a bit of rest, today I was up for the fight.”
The Norwegian didn’t let his hip distract him on Sunday.
“You don’t think about it when you're at the starting line. I thought that I could be the best today. I'm so good that even if I have a bit of a bad entry into the race, I can still win.
“But I feel like I did a great race, and it also was a great battle against a really good Ning Zhongyan (CHN).”
Skating in the 11th pairing, Kongshaug and Ning were almost level the entire race. Ning’s opener was .02 seconds faster, but Kongshaug made up the difference in the first full lap. Ning was .09 seconds ahead at the 1100m split, but Kongshaug had a strong final lap to leave his Chinese rival .23 seconds behind. Ning eventually settled for fourth place.
“I knew I had to go out really hard, because Ning is a fast guy. I also was pretty confident that I would have a better last lap, so I took advantage of that.”
After Kongshaug crossed the line in 1:44.64, Jordan Stolz (USA) and Kjeld Nuis (NED) lined up for the final pairing.
Kongshaug described how he felt in that moment.
“It's really special to skate in the second last pair, because you come to the finish line and you see green, and that's, of course, a good sign,” he said.
“But then you know that this guy, Jordan, and also Kjeld, who is probably the best 1500m skater ever, are coming in the last pair. It was really nerve-racking to see Jordan in the last lap, because he came close, but I feel like I had some karma waiting for me.”
Stolz misses top-end speed
After dominating the 500m, 1000m and 1500m World Cup season, Stolz was sick in February and he didn’t feel like his best self at the Vikingskipet this weekend.
The two-time defending World Champion at all three distances had to settle for silver in the 500m on Friday and bronze in the 1000m on Saturday.
“I miss top-end speed, but the endurance is still there,” he said.
Jordan Stolz (USA) secured his third medal of the World Championships on Sunday despite lacking top-end speed after an illness in February. © ISU
Nuis, who injured himself kicking a chair in frustration after getting disqualified at the Heerenveen World Cup two weeks ago, was not in top shape either. Yet, the 2022 Olympic champion went out fast.
Stolz had the better opener, but Nuis was faster at the 700m and 1100m splits.
“I felt for sure Kjeld was going to beat me there,” Stolz said. “But I was able to catch him in the very end.”
His 1:44.71 finish was good enough for silver, while Nuis had to settle for sixth place in 1:45.36.
“I didn’t know if I would be able to medal when I crossed the line,” Stolz said. “I looked up at the board, it wasn’t a gold, that of course was annoying, but for how I felt going into the race, I’m happy with it.”
Stolz said he learned a lot from getting sick and out of shape this season.
“I learned that it’s not always going to be first place, and if I start going on the downhill part, I think I’ve learned to find ways to be able to compensate for that, to try to stay in shape. It’s also a motivation to go training in the summer,” he said.
“I’m still happy with the medals. Right now, I’m in my worst shape and I can still get close to winning. When I’m in my best shape we’ll see, hopefully I can get that big lead back again.”
Howe peaks at right moment
Connor Howe (CAN) skated in the eighth pairing, ahead of the title favorites, after a lackluster World Cup season. That his 1:44.78 finish would eventually land him on the podium wasn't a total surprise to him.
Connor Howe (CAN) recovered from a challenging season to claim 1500m bronze on Sunday in Hamar. © ISU
“I knew it would be a stretch, but I knew my skating has been slowly getting better this year,” he said.
“I had a slow start and it was a bit frustrating, because I knew I had it in me, but it wasn't quite coming, so I’m happy that it finished on a high like that. It's been a few years where I feel like I had the potential, but it was never coming at the right moment. So, I'm happy. It finally came together.”
Ghiotto adds gold to Team Pursuit silver
Davide Ghiotto (ITA) knew he had the potential.
The Italian won the 10,000m World title the past two years and added the 10,000m world record to his list of honors in Calgary in January.
Yet, going to the start line in Hamar, Ghiotto was not over-confident.
Davide Ghiotto (ITA) receives congratulations after winning gold in the 10,000m distance Sunday at the ISU World Single Distances Championships. © ISU
“It’s not easy to perform year after year — everybody wants to win,” he said.
“After the world record in Calgary, I didn’t skate very well in the second half of the season, and coming fourth in the 5000m at these Championships was also disappointing.
“Then, after (taking silver in) Team Pursuit, I got more motivation.”
Ghiotto managed to turn his motivation into a solid race.
Before the ice-cleaning break halfway through the field, Vladimir Semirunniy (POL) had set the bar at a time of 12:49.93.
The Polish youngster, who took bronze in the 5000m on Thursday, skated a personal best, keeping all 24 laps after the opener under 31 seconds. He had prepared meticulously in training.
Vladimir Semirunniy (POL) thanks the crowd after taking the lead in the second pairing of the men's 10,000m on Sunday in Hamar. © ISU
“One week ago, I did a tempo two times 12 laps, with an average speed of 30.3 (second) laps and then 30.4 laps,” Semirunniy said. “I wanted to try that today, but competition is different, a little bit slower, but I managed to do all laps at (about) 30.5, very stable.”
Ghiotto aimed for a constant 30.4-second laps, and he managed to build a quick lead after a faster opener and a second lap under 30 seconds. Although he did not keep his lap times as steady as Semirunniy, the defending champion eventually finished 3.78 seconds ahead of his rival.
In Ghiotto’s slipstream, Metoděj Jílek (CZE) skated to bronze. The Czech youngster, at age 18 technically still a junior, stopped the clock at 12:51.53.
Metoděj Jílek (CZE) used his pairing with Davide Ghiotto (ITA) to his advantage on Sunday, skating to 10,000m bronze in the Vikingskipet. © ISU
“It was the perfect pair,” Jílek said. “He's by far the best guy in the 10,000m, so my goal was just to race him and to be as close to him as possible, which partially worked out, but he was just way too fast for me.
“I came here to get the medal, to get any medal, so I'm glad about it, but still, there are two guys that are better. I’d like to get back to work this summer and improve myself.”
Hamar program
The ISU World Single Distances Championships comprise an action-packed schedule with four days of spectacular skating. The event starts with the 3000m for women and the 5000m for men, followed by the Team Sprint for both genders on Thursday. On Friday, both genders will compete in the Team Pursuit and the 500m. The Saturday program features the 1000m for both genders, the 5000m for women and the Mass Start for men, and the championships conclude with the 1500m for both genders, the men’s 10,000m and the women’s Mass Start on Sunday.
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
Stay connected with the ISU:
ISU Website: ISU News
ISU World Cup Speed Skating Series
ISU Newsletter: Subscribe to our weekly Newsletter to get the latest news and press releases.
