SPEED SKATING
De Boo (NED) tops Stolz (USA), while USA wins long-awaited Team Pursuit title
14 Mar 2025
Jenning de Boo (NED) denied Jordan Stolz (USA) the chance to win a third consecutive triple (500m, 1000m and 1500m gold) at the ISU World Single Distances Championships in Hamar on Friday. The Dutch sprinter broke the 17-year-old track record set by former world-record holder Jeremy Wotherspoon (CAN) to win the 500m title. Stolz had to settle for silver, with Cooper McLeod seizing bronze. In the Team Pursuit, the USA dethroned Italy to win a long-awaited World title.
De Boo overcomes nerves to win
Jenning de Boo (NED) was nervous when he went to the starting line in the men’s 500m on Friday night.
“It’s a long day of waiting until you finally go,” he explained. “I was in the final pairing and on top of that we had a false start. I got back to the line and I had to recharge. In Heerenveen (at the last World Cup race two weeks ago), I blew it after a false start and I didn’t want to repeat that.”
This time, de Boo managed to keep everything under control.
Jenning de Boo (NED) set a track record to win 500m gold at the ISU World Single Distances Championships in Hamar, Norway on Friday. © ISU
“When I put on my cap, I empty my head. I don’t think anymore. When you’re at the start, you shouldn’t think anymore. It has to come automatically, that’s what you train for.”
The Dutchman skated the fastest opener of his career in 9.54 seconds, to finish in a track record time of 34.24.
De Boo pushed Jordan Stolz (USA) off the top of the leaderboard. The defending champion had stopped the clock at 34.38 seconds in the previous pairing.
“It’s strange,” de Boo said. “Beforehand I didn’t know if I would be able to beat Stolz, but I knew that I was able to skate 34.3 at this track.”
Before the final World Cup in Heerenveen two weeks, Stolz had seemed unbeatable in the 500m. To beat him in the most important race of the season was a big relief for de Boo.
“I’ve come second the whole season,” he said. “Of course, when I beat him in Heerenveen (in the first 500m), it also felt as a relief, but that’s hard to compare because (Stolz) had been sick recently.
“Now he’s much better than he was then, although he still may not be 100 per cent, but that doesn’t take away anything from my World title.”
Stolz lacked a little power
Stolz said recovering from his illness might have affected his power in Hamar.
“Everything that happened the last month probably played into it,” he said.
Cooper McLeod (USA), left, and Jordan Stolz (USA) await the results of the final 500m pairing Friday at the Vikingskipet. © ISU
“I felt like I got all my power into the ice. Technically, I thought it was good, but I just didn't have it in the legs. It’s just going to take a little bit more time to build it back, so I wasn’t ready for this.”
Stolz, however, hasn’t lost his confidence ahead of the 1000m on Saturday and the 1500m on Sunday.
“I think de Boo is going to be good in the 1000m, too. We'll see how it goes. I think I can still skate a good one. My endurance is still there.”
McLeod follows Stolz’s slipstream
Skating in the same pair as Stolz, Cooper McLeod (USA) was able to chase his compatriot on the back stretch.
The 23-year-old American grabbed his career-fist World Championships medal, taking bronze in 34.52 seconds.
Cooper McLeod (USA) realizes he made the 500m podium in third spot, just behind teammate Jordan Stolz at the ISU World Single Distances Championships. © ISU
“It's nice to be able to be paired up with Jordan,” McLeod said. “We've been paired for years, since we were juniors.
“The goal was to get out fast and give myself a chance. A lot of guys open 9.3 or 9.4, so you can't start too far back. Today I had my fastest opener (9.65 seconds). I carried that into a good first corner, and after that, it was just getting to see the reigning World champion in front of you. That's pretty motivating. It was fun to get chasing down the back stretch.”
McLeod did have some trouble on the final inner corner.
“I was just going too fast, a little bit faster than I have this year, at sea level at least. I was not expecting to be going that fast, I guess. Then going on to the home stretch, I’ve had some trouble with the timing of my pushes this year, and (Stolz) started to get away from me a little bit. I thought, just follow Jordan’s pushes.”
McLeod was hoping to see green when he finished, to tell him he was faster than the previous skaters.
“I knew it was going to be close, so I was looking up at the board and just thinking, be green, be green, be green, and then it was just a magical feeling.”
USA wins long-awaited title
After winning the Team Pursuit World Cup Trophy in Heerenveen two weeks ago, Emery Lehman said:
“We've gotten the World Cup overall a couple times, so at this point we need to do it when it really matters at the World Championships.”
Never having won a medal with their lineup, Lehman, Casey Dawson and Ethan Cepuran (USA) put the pressure on themselves in Hamar and finally managed to pull it off.
Emery Lehman, Ethan Cepuran and Casey Dawson (USA) celebrate their Team Pursuit win Friday at the ISU World Single Distances Championships. © ISU
Team USA crushed the rest of the field in a track record time of 3 minutes and 39.24 seconds.
“It's been a long time coming,” said Lehman, who announced he will hang up his boots after next year’s Olympic Games.
“This was our last World Championships, doing the Team Pursuit together, so we really wanted to go out on a strong note.”
As the team’s front man, Dawson was in charge of tactics. He said:
“I'm a long-distance guy, 5000m and 10,000m. I’m not the fastest starter in the world, but I have a pretty big engine as far as endurance goes. Once I get going, I can maintain the lap times, and they're so comfortable behind me.”
Looking at his medal took Cepuran back in time.
“Twelve years ago, I remember I had a broken leg. And I was at a short track meet in Chicago. He (pointing at Lehman) was in Collalbo (ITA), winning the 5000m at the Junior World Championships, and now winning the World Championships with him … little me would be geeking out right now.”
Defending world champions Italy (Davide Ghiotto, Michele Malfatti and Andrea Giovannini) took silver in 3:41.17, while Chris Huizinga, Beau Snellink and Marcel Bosker (NED) claimed bronze in 3:41.91.
Home nation Norway did not finish the race because their third skater, Peder Kongshaug (NOR), crashed out.
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
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