#SpeedSkating

Jordan Stolz (USA) kept his undefeated record alive in two distances on the first day of the second ISU World Cup event of the season in Beijing in Friday. Jenning de Boo (NED) set a high bar in the 500m, but the unstoppable American countered with a track record. In the 1500m, Stolz cruised to victory with a confident and well-balanced race, beating Ning Zhongyan (CHN) on home ice at the Ice Ribbon. 

Stolz and De Boo stand out

Before Jordan Stolz (USA) took the ice in the 10th and last pair of the 500m, Jenning de Boo (NED) had stopped the clock at 34.39s, beating Tatsuya Shinhama (JPN) by 0.05s in a head-to-head fight.

De Boo was only 0.07s short of the track record set by Gao Tingyu (CHN) at this venue during the 2022 Olympic Games. The Chinese sprinter himself finished in 34.95s to end up 13th on Friday.

Stolz was impressed with De Boo’s outing, but kept his cool in the finale. Racing alongside Dutchman Stefan Westenbroek (NED), he not only beat De Boo’s time but also Gao’s track record by 0.05s to finish in 34.27.

Jordan Stolz (USA) rose to the challenge of Jenning de Boo's (NED) fast 500m time by breaking the Beijing track record to take his fifth gold of this ISU World Cup season © ISU

“The ice felt pretty good today, and it’s pretty quick,” Stolz said. “So I was just a little bit worried by [De Boo’s] time.

“I figured, physically, I would be able to beat him. I just had to be able to put it in the ice technically, and I feel like I did that.”

Despite coming short off Stolz, De Boo was content to take his first World Cup podium finish in the 500m this season after already having come second behind Stolz in the 1000m last week in Nagano.   

“I wanted to stay ahead of Shinhama, and I managed. And Stolz… you know that he’s able to do special things and he did it again.

“But I know I can beat him. With a better opener, I can shave that 0.12s off [today’s time]. Gerard [coach Gerard van Velde, NED] knows what I have to do to improve my opener.

“It’s good to have things that I can improve. That’s the beauty of speed skating, that you can always become better technically. That’s the fun of it to me.”

De Boo (NED), left, says he knows how to beat Stolz; both he and bronze medalist Tatsuya Shinhama (JPN) will get more chances to do just that over the weekend © ISU

De Boo did not want to look to Stolz to improve his own technique though. 

“I have a distinct way of skating, if I were to do things the way he does, I don’t think that it would make me faster,” he explained.

“If you look at the prototype perfect skating movement, both Stolz and I are very different. In my case, it’s because I’m tall and I can fold myself. And Stolz has a very distinct rhythm and timing. You’ve got to have something special to win.”

Stolz had not analyzed De Boo’s technique, but he thought his own skating stood out because of his corners. 

“I think I can skate a pretty good turn. That’s my most comfortable part. The straightaway is obviously pretty good, but I feel it’s my turns that make the difference.”

Stolz retained the lead in the World Cup ranking, with Shinhama in second and De Boo climbing to third. Laurent Dubreuil (CAN), who skated despite a groin injury, dropped to fourth place.

Ning and Nuis set high bar for Stolz in 1500m

Following his record-breaking 500m performance, Stolz went on to win the 1500m, again beating a high bar set by his rivals before him.

Ning Zhongyan (CHN) stopped the clock at 1 minute and 44.26s in the eighth pairing versus Olympic champion Kjeld Nuis (NED). Nuis finished in 1:45.05, which was 1.84s short of his own Olympic and track record. 

Ning Zhongyan (CHN), front, and Kjeld Nuis (NED), back, shared a highly competitive heat which put them both on the 1500m podium behind Stolz © ISU

Nuis explained how he had tried to copy last year’s World Cup race in Beijing, when he had beaten Ning on home ice.

“Last year I also started inner corner in the eighth pairing versus Ning, and back then he opened a bit faster,” Nuis recalled.

“I was able to keep up in the outer and ended up before him. This time we were level and I had to give it my all to chase him down on the penultimate backstretch. 

“I did not manage to build enough of a gap and Ning saw that I was within shooting distance. Hats off to him. He fought well on the last backstretch.”

Ning’s and Nuis’ times turned out to be good enough for second and third place respectively. 

“I have to be happy with bronze, especially if you look at who else is on the podium,” Nuis said.

On the final pairing, Stolz made perfect use of Peder Kongshaug (NOR) to clock a time of 1 minute and 43.94s.

The American was behind Ning’s time at the 1100m split, but made up for that with a strong final lap in 28.0s.

Stolz made it six wins from six in this year's ISU World Cup with a comfortable victory in the 1500m after skating what Kjeld Nuis called a 'super smart' race © ISU

Nuis had also analyzed Stolz’s race.

“He doesn’t get tired, he holds back a little at the start to benefit from Kongshaug,” Nuis explained.

“If he opens as fast as he can, he would have crossed in front at the first backstretch and then he would have had to do it all by himself. Now he got a free draft on that backstretch only to put down the throttle afterwards. 

“Then he lifts the gas a little again to let Kongshaug get back to take a second draft. Super smart, that’s what he also did against Ning last week.

“He did not go flat out, he can go way faster.”

Stolz agreed that he could have gone faster, but he hadn’t planned his race the way Nuis thought.

“It was just kind of what happened,” he admitted.

“I was doing my own race and [Kongshaug] ended up being in front of me, so I took the draft, and I was feeling a little fatigued, so I figured right after I had drafted him, I would attack that turn a little bit.

“It seemed smart in the moment to attack the turn after I drafted him, but I think it was just too early to spend the energy. I didn't try to go slower, but I was just a little fatigued. It was kind of hard to predict how the race should go.”

Stolz retained his lead in the 1500m World Cup ranking, with Ning climbing to second and Sander Eitrem (NOR), who finished fifth, dropping to third place.

Beijing program

The Beijing World Cup will resume with the 1000m for both genders, the women’s 3000m, and the men’s 5000m on Saturday and the Sunday program comprises the second 500m, the Mass Start, and the Team Sprint for both genders.

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 

Where to watch

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