SPEED SKATING
Like father like son: Wennemars (NED) adds to family legacy with 1000m gold
15 Mar 2025
Joep Wennemars (NED) followed the footsteps of his father on Saturday. Twenty-one years after Erben Wennemars won his second 1000m World title, his 22-year-old son surprised the field with a track record to win his maiden World title in the same distance. Jenning de Boo (NED) took silver and Jordan Stolz (USA) bronze. Andrea Giovannini (ITA) brought the day to end in the Mass Start, winning his first individual World title.
Wennemars overcomes tough season
Joep Wennemars (NED) finished seventh in the World Cup rankings this season, so he didn’t have the privilege of skating in one of the later pairings.
Starting in the seventh of 12 heats against Laurent Dubreuil (CAN), the Dutchman kept up with his quick Canadian pair-mate over the first 600m, then pulled ahead in the final lap.
Wennemars broke the 2022 track record, set by former teammate and now retired Thomas Krol (NED), by .11 seconds, stopping the clock at one minute and 8.05 seconds.
“My plan was skating a good race,” Wennemars said.
Joep Wennemars (NED) celebrates his 1000m win alongside Jenning de Boo (NED) and Jordan Stolz (USA) on Saturday. © ISU
“Last week I spoke to Krol, and he said that the track record was really sharp, so when I looked up and saw ‘track record’, I thought: at least I did my thing. And then you see the following pairings, and you hope you’ll get to the podium, and then there’s the final pairing, and you can hope for gold.”
In the penultimate heat, Friday’s 500m champion Jenning de Boo (NED) came close to Wennemars with a time of 1:08.21. In the final pairing Jordan Stolz (USA), who hadn’t lost a single 1000m World Cup race he started this season, also fell short in 1:08.26.
“I don’t know. It really happened,” Wennemars said afterwards, in disbelief.
The Dutch youngster reflected on a difficult season, in which he struggled with the ramifications of knee surgery after an unlucky injury in the fall.
“It’s so difficult. At a certain moment, I only skated for last place in the World Cups, and then it’s tough to keep believing that these kind of things are possible. I’ve actually only skated sh** races except two: the qualification (for the World Championships at the Dutch nationals), and this one. But those are the only two that really count, so it makes up for everything.”
Wennemars was proud to put his name on the World Championships list of honor two decades after his father, Erben Wennemars (NED), did it.
“I carry that name since I was a kid. It’s got disadvantages, but just a little more advantages. My father is my biggest ally. He knows exactly what this means to me and vice versa.
“The Olympic Games may be the biggest prize to win, but I was always raised with the World Championships. Being the best in the world, that’s such a beautiful notion. I’ve always dreamt of this.”
De Boo content with silver
De Boo wasn’t initially too impressed by Wennemars’ track record.
“I thought I could go faster,” he said. “But I didn’t. Joep had a very strong race today. My race was not too bad. I started a bit too cautious in the first 600m, and the backstretch was a bit awkward.”
Jenning de Boo (NED) acknowledges the crowd after finishing .16 seconds behind teammate Joep Wennemars at the Vikingskipet on Saturday. © ISU
Coming from the outer lane, and having priority, de Boo ended up level with pair-mate Ning Zhongyan (CHN) on the final backstretch. He explained:
“I was in doubt with Ning, cross in front or behind. It also depended on what he was going to do. It was sh** for him, too. Eventually, I thought I’d just go for it.”
De Boo crossed in front and secured the silver medal.
“I’m super happy with that, although I’d rather have won of course. But it’s been a very good weekend and a very good season.”
Stolz says his legs were blowing up
Stolz also thought he would be faster than Wennemars, but he too had to bow his head.
“I felt like I was pushing really hard, but then I saw the lap board. It’s hard to judge, what time it’s going to be. Obviously, I'm pushing as hard as I can, and it always feels the same, but when you get into the turns, and you feel your legs like the last turn, they're just blowing up.”
Jordan Stolz (USA) settled for bronze on Saturday after going undefeated over 1000m during the ISU World Cup season. © ISU
“Usually you can keep pushing, but this time, it's more like you're gliding, and then half pushing. There's just nothing there.”
Stolz will now focus on Sunday’s 1500m, in which he’ll face tough competition from Norway’s Sander Eitrem and Peder Kongshaug (NOR).
“It's a tough call. It's all going to depend on the middle and last lap, obviously, but have a good middle lap, maybe I can throw in a good last lap and get a good time, but as of right now, I think it's going to be tough.”
Dream finish for Giovannini in Mass Start
In the Mass Start, Andrea Giovannini (ITA) won the biggest prize of his career when he edged out Lee Seung-Hoon (KOR) and Bart Swings (BEL) in the final sprint.
“It’s a dream come true, don’t wake me up please,” the Italian said. “I’m incredibly happy.”
Andrea Giovannini (ITA) finished .05 seconds ahead of Lee Seung-Hoon (KOR) to win his first individual title at an ISU World Single Distances Championships. © ISU
After having posted some disappointing Mass Start results during the first half of the World Cup season, Giovannini found his groove and managed to successfully defend his World Cup Trophy.
“The last two World Cup were good for me, so I knew I was in a good shape, but you know, the Mass Start is always chaotic. Today, it was 24 skaters in the finals, anything can happen, but in the end the race was pretty flat without a lot of breakaways.
“When we arrived at the final straight, I found the right spot in the group, and the last straight was incredible, very chaotic. I was behind the Korean guys, and I felt I had a lot of speed so I could pass them.”
Defending champion Swings was happy to end up on the podium alongside Giovannini and 2018 Olympic champion Lee.
Lee Seung-Hoon (KOR) and Bart Swings (BEL) were unable to catch Andrea Giovannini (ITA) in the final Mass Start sprint on Saturday. © ISU
Swings, who won gold at the 2022 Olympics, had been struggling with his right knee for a couple of months.
“I’ve been dealing with several knee problems for a while. It’s mostly solved, but not everything. It feels a bit as if I’m skating on one leg. Of all the medals I won, this was probably the toughest.”
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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