#SpeedSkating

Miho Takagi (JPN) equaled two Japanese speed skating legends when she won 1000m gold at the ISU World Cup in Calgary on Friday. Collecting her 34th individual World Cup gold, she matched Nao Kodaira and Hiroyasu Shimizu with the most individual World Cup wins for Japan. Jutta Leerdam (NED) took second place in Calgary, with Han Mei (CHN) coming in third. Joy Beune (NED) confidently won the 5000m, with compatriot Merel Conijn seizing her career first World Cup podium in second place and Martina Sáblíková (CZE) taking the bronze medal.

 Takagi edges out Leerdam

 Miho Takagi (JPN) took on Angel Daleman (NED) in the final pairing of the 1000m. In the previous pairing, Jutta Leerdam (NED) had set the fastest time so far with 1 minute and 13.46s.

Takagi made the difference in the opener and in the final lap , while Leerdam skated a faster full lap in between. At the 600m split, Takagi was just a mere .16s behind, but she won another .20s in the final lap, finishing in 1:13.10 to retain her undefeated season streak in the distance.

 Miho Takagi of Japan on her gold-medal run in Women's 1000m at ISU World Cup Calgary. © ISU

For Takagi, getting level with the legendary Shimizu and Kodaira was just a little nice-to-have.

“Of course I’m proud,” she said with a smile. “But it doesn’t mean anything for my races in the future, it doesn’t make me a better skater, and I just focus on tomorrow’s racing.”

On Saturday, Takagi will take on the 1500m, in which she is also undefeated this season.

Leerdam was content with her racing. The two-fold 1000m world champion felt as if she had finally overcome the troubles with boots and blades she had experienced earlier on this season.

 Silver medalist Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands in Women’s 1000m at ISU World Cup Calgary. © ISU

“I was back on my old boots today. Two weeks ago [when she won the European Sprint Championships in Heerenveen], I skated on new boots, which were more stiff and skating felt way tougher,” she said.

“After that, I switched back to my old boots. I had them completely refurbished and I finally feel like my old self again.”

Behind Takagi and Leerdam, Han Mei (CHN) seized bronze in 1:13.58.

“This feels like redemption for not winning a medal at my home World Cup in Beijing [last December],” Han said.

 Japan's gold medalist Miho Takagi, flanked by Dutch skater Jutta Leerdam (silver, left) and Han Mei of China (bronze, right). © ISU

The 26-year-old from Hohhot, China, climbed from six to fourth place in the World Cup ranking, with Takagi and Leerdam in first and second place. Seventeen-year-old Daleman, who finished fourth in a personal best of 1:14.22, retained third place in the standings.

Beune glides to gold

Joy Beune (NED) won the longest distance in the women’s World Cup series, finishing the 5000m in a personal best time of 6 minutes and 45.76s. The 25-year-old from Borne, the Netherlands, felt very much at ease on the ice of the Calgary Olympic Oval, where she already took the 5000m world title last season.

Joy Beune of the Netherlands (right) in front on way to gold in Women’s 5000m at ISU World Cup Calgary. © ISU

“I like it here,” Beune said. “I’m a technical skater and I can glide very well on this ice. And skating at high altitude suits me well. This was even a better race than last year at the World Championships.

“I’m really happy because my last two 5000m races at the Dutch and European Allround Championships were a little off. Now, I had the right rhythm straight from the start.”

Beune pushed Ragne Wiklund (NOR) from the top of the ranking in the long-distance World Cup, with the Norwegian finishing sixth in 6:56.64.

“I’m steady on the podium in this year’s World Cup, that’s something I’m really proud of,” Beune said.

Left to right: Merel Conijn of Netherlands (silver), Joy Beune of Netherlands (gold) and Martina Sáblíková of Czech Republic (bronze) after Women’s 5000m. © ISU

Behind Beune, Merel Conijn (NED) took her career first World Cup medal in 6:47.44. Although it had not been her first time on the ice in Calgary, the 23-year-old Conijn found it hard to adjust after having flown in on Wednesday from a Tenerife training camp.

She compared Calgary with the sea-level track in Heerenveen, where she set her previous personal best. “The ice felt good, but the air is completely different, it’s really tough on your lungs,” said Conijn.

“Of course I’m not fully used to high altitude yet, but you have to deal with it the way it comes.”

Martina Sáblíková (CZE) had not had an ideal preparation either. Yet the 37-year-old Czech veteran managed to win bronze and collect her career 95th individual World Cup medal.

“I was in bed with a fever from Saturday until Wednesday, so I had to be careful,” she said. “I started cautiously, because I didn’t know what [time] I could skate.”

Martina Sáblíková of Czech Republic, who took bronze in Women’s 5000m, was bed ridden for much of this week. © ISU

Finishing in 6:49.01, Sáblíková came 3.25s short of Beune’s winning mark. She climbed to fourth place in the World Cup ranking.

Wiklund, who finished sixth in a time of 6:56.64, dropped to second place in the standings, with Conijn jumping from seventh to third place.

Calgary program

The ISU Speed Skating World Cup in Calgary started with the women’s 5000m, the men’s 1500m and the women’s 1000m on Friday. The Saturday program comprises women‘s 1500m, the men’s 1000m, and the men’s 10,000m, while on Sunday both genders will compete in the 500m and the Mass Start, to conclude with the Team Sprint.  

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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