No more single distances this season. At the ISU Speed Skating Allround & Sprint World Championships in Heerenveen (NED) it's not about the specialists, but about who are the most versatile and consistent skaters over four distances in two days.

Jordan Stolz (USA) aims to become the most versatile of all skaters. After winning two gold medals and a silver at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, the American phenomenon has set his sights on winning both the Sprint and the Allround titles at Thialf Stadium.

Jordan Stolz (USA) and Joy Beune (NED) celebrate ISU World Allround gold in Inzell (GER) in 2024. Can they retain their titles in Heerenveen? © ISU

With defending Champion Joy Beune (NED), European Allround Champion Antoinette Rijpma-De Jong, former World Champion Miho Takagi (JPN), double Olympic Champion Francesca Lollobrigida (ITA) and triple Olympic medalist Ragne Wiklund (NOR), the women's Allround event has the deepest field of all four competitions.

The ISU Speed Skating Allround & Sprint World Championships start with the Sprint competition for both genders on Thursday and Friday. The Allround competition is scheduled on Saturday and Sunday.

Men's Sprint: Stolz the red-hot favorite

Having won both the 500m and the 1000m at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, Stolz is the red-hot favorite to take his career first World Sprint title. At the Allround & Sprint World Championships in Inzell four years ago, the American won the Allround competition, but this time he is aiming for a unique double.

Stolz is favourite to take his career first World Sprint title after securing 500m and 1000m gold at the Milan Olympics © ISU

Eric Heiden (USA) is the only skater in history to have won both the World Sprint and the World Allround titles in the same year. In fact, Stolz' legendary predecessor did that three times in a row, in 1977, 1978 and 1979. 

Back then, however, the World Sprint and Allround Championships were held separately. Since the World Championships in Hamar 2020, it's a combined event, which makes the challenge to win both titles more difficult, because a skater needs to skate two distances per day over the course of four days.

While Stolz is favorite for the Sprint title, defending champion Ning Zhongyan (CHN) is in excellent form too. The fresh Olympic 1500m champion is one of the most consistent skaters in the field.

Other contenders are Damian Zurek (POL), Jenning de Boo (NED) and Joep Wennemars (NED).

Women's Sprint: Absent rivals leave field wide open for Kok

After winning the much coveted Olympic 1000m in a thrilling battle with Femke Kok (NED), Jutta Leerdam (NED) decided to call it quits for the season, leaving the field open for her compatriot to grab her career first World Sprint title after taking silver in 2022 and 2024.

Olympic 500m Champion Femke Kok (NED) can take advantage of the absence of key rivals to win her first World Sprint crown © ISU

Double World Sprint Champion Miho Takagi (JPN), who won the title in 2024, has chosen to skate the Allround Tournament in Heerenveen, so Kok's main rivals will be Polish 500m specialist Kaja Ziomek-Nogal (POL) and Erin Jackson (USA). 

After skating a World Record and winning the Olympic 500m title this season, Kok has also excelled in the 1000m, taking Olympic silver behind Leerdam. 

Jackson, the 2022 Olympic 500m Champion, also improved her 1000m this season. Her fifth-place finish in the Milan 500m may have been slightly disappointing, but finishing sixth in the Olympic 1000m must have given her confidence going into the World Sprint Championships.

Other contenders include Yukino Yoshida (JPN) and Serena Pergher (ITA), and you can never rule out Suzanne Schulting (NED) – the former short-track queen convincingly won the Dutch Sprint Title in absence of Kok and Leerdam last weekend. 

Men's Allround: Stolz faces long-distance challenge

While he's undoubtedly the man to beat in the Sprint Tournament, the Allround event will be a different ballgame for Jordan Stolz. The American has not skated a 5000m or a 10,000m in international competition since winning the last World Allround Championships in Inzell two years ago, and recuperating from the two-day Sprint event will not be easy either.

Olympic 5000m Champion and World Record holder Sander Eitrem (NOR), Olympic 10,000m Champion Metoděj Jílek (CZE), and Olympic 10,000m silver medalist Vladimir Semirunniy (POL) may take advantage of Stolz' fatigue and lack of long-distance experience.

Sander Eitrem (NOR) has shattered the 5000m World Record, above, and won Olympic gold already this year © ISU

The more endurance-type skaters will try to control the damage in the 500m and 1500m in order to reel in the American in the 5000m and 10,000m. 

Other contenders are Peder Kongshaug (NOR), Timothy Loubineaud (FRA), Stijn van de Bunt (NED), Chris Huizinga (NED) and Marcel Bosker (NED).

Women's Allround: Olympic medalists can block Beune redemption

Joy Beune (NED) is seeking redemption for a lackluster Olympic campaign at these World Allround Championships. The defending champion missed out on Olympic qualification in her favorite 1500m before finishing a disappointing fourth in the Olympic 3000m. 

Olympic Team Pursuit silver was a consolation, but Beune had dreamed of more. She wants to set the record straight in Heerenveen, but competition is fierce.

Joy Beune (NED) can make up for a disappointing Olympics by retaining her Allround title, but the competition is fierce © ISU

Coming away from Milan with three bronze medals, Takagi will also seek redemption in Heerenveen. The versatile Japanese skater already won the World Allround title in 2018.

Olympic 3000m and 5000m champion Francesca Lollobrigida (ITA), Olympic 1500m Champion Antoinette Rijpma-De Jong (NED) and Norway's Ragne Wiklund (Olympic silver in 1500m and 3000m and bronze in 5000m) all hope to carry their Olympic form into the World Championships.

Valérie Maltais (CAN), who retained her Olympic Team Pursuit title with Canada and also took individual bronze medals in the 1500m and the 3000m, is another podium contender in Heerenveen.

Five-time World Allround Champion Martina Sáblíková (CZE) will probably not be able to compete for the podium, but the 38-year-old veteran will take the ice to wave farewell to the speed skating fans in Thialf, before hanging up her blades at the end of the season.