SPEED SKATING
Maiden title for Portugal at ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships
10 Feb 2025
Jéssica Carolina Santos Rodrigues won the women’s Mass Start gold to seize a historic first World Speed Skating title for Portugal at the ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships in Collalbo, Italy. Jeannine Rosner (AUT) and Finn Sonnekalb (GER) took the women’s and men’s Allround titles, respectively. Skaters representing thirteen nations made their way to the podium at the Ritten Arena.
Portuguese delight
Portugal’s Jéssica Carolina Santos Rodrigues pipped Ona Rodriguez Cornejo (ESP) to the line in Sunday’s Mass Start final to claim her nation’s first ever World title in Speed Skating, as Marley Soldan (USA) took bronze.
Team Portugal celebrates Jéssica Carolina Santos Rodrigues' gold medal at the ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championship gold in Collalbo, Italy © ISU
Rosner follows in Herzog’s footsteps
Jeannine Rosner (AUT), meanwhile, won the 1000m, 1500m and 3000m titles to wrap up the Allround classification, following in the footsteps of Vanessa Herzog (née Bittner) as the only Austrian women ever to win World Junior titles.
Jeannine Rosner (AUT) on her way to ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championship gold in Collalbo, Italy © ISU
With a total of five World Junior titles, won in 2013, 2014 and 2015, Herzog went on to the take the senior 500m World title in 2019.
In the Allround standings at the 2025 ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships, Italy’s Emily Tormen took silver on home ice in Collalbo, while Jasmijn Veenhuis (NED) seized bronze.
Shizuko Okuaki (JPN) won the women’s 500m World title in a personal best time of 39.00s. She also took bronze in the 1000m, but didn’t compete in the longer distances to get an Allround ranking.
The Netherlands won the women’s Team Pursuit title, and Poland captured the Team Sprint gold medal.
Sonnekalb keeps Jilek at bay
Having won silver last season, Finn Sonnekalb (GER) reached the top step on this year’s Allround podium. The three-time 2024 Youth Olympic Champion laid a solid foundation for the title in the short distances, with bronze in the 500m and gold in both the 1000m and the 1500m.
Finn Sonnekalb (GER): Allround Champion at the ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championship gold in Collalbo, Italy © ISU
Metoděj Jílek (CZE) won the 5000m in six minutes, 19.94 seconds, which was more than 25s faster than Sonnekalb, but the German had been 2.12s faster in the 500m, 1.15s quicker in the 1000m, and .04s in the 1500m.
Metodej Jilek (CZE) celebrates his victory in the Mass Start at the ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships in Collalbo, Italy © ISU
Jilek thus had to settle for silver in the Allround classification. Last year’s Allround champion Didrik Eng Strand (NOR) took bronze.
Jalen Doan (CAN) won the men’s 500m title in 35.83s. He also took 1000m bronze, but didn’t compete in the Allround event.
In the Mass Start, Jilek added another gold to his 5000m title, leaving Shomu Sasaki (JPN) and William Silk (USA) behind to take the silver and bronze medals respectively.
Japan won the men’s Team Pursuit and Norway seized the Team Sprint title.
Canada’s Jalen Doan and Julia Snelgrove concluded the Championships with the first ever Mixed Gender Relay World title.
