SPEED SKATING
Lollobrigida (ITA) finds gold at final World Championships
15 Mar 2025
Francesca Lollobrigida (ITA) finally pulled it off. Skating at her final World Championships, the 34-year-old Italian won Saturday’s 5000m to seize the first World Championships medal of her career. Home favorite Ragne Wiklund (NOR) had to settle for silver, .18 seconds behind. In the first event of the day, Miho Takagi (JPN) held off Femke Kok and Jutta Leerdam (NED) to win the 1000m.
Fun race turns golden for Lollobrigida
Francesca Lollobrigida (ITA) didn’t make it easy on herself at the Vikingskipet. She set the stage before the season showdown in Hamar.
“Next year it’s the Olympic Games, and I’m definitely going to quit speed skating after that, so (Hamar) will be my last World Championships,” she said.
“I’ve never won a medal at the World Championships yet, only fourth places, always fourth places.”
Francesca Lollobrigida (ITA) reacts to the results of the final pairing, which gave her the gold medal at the ISU World Single Distances Championships on Saturday. © ISU
Coming onto the ice against friend, training partner and 10-time World 5000m Champion Martina Sáblíková (CZE), Lollobrigida managed to get into her groove quickly.
Sáblíková had been sick in the lead-up to the race.
“I wanted to skate,” Sáblíková said, “but before the race I told Francesca that I would try to help her and then I was going to die.”
Lollobrigida took the initiative and was able to use Sáblíková’s draft on the backstretch a few times at the beginning of the race.
Halfway through the race, the Czech veteran began to fade, while Lollobrigida maintained her pace. She finished in a time of six minutes, 56.38 seconds.
On top of the leaderboard with just one pair to go, Lollobrigida knew she would be able to celebrate the first World Championships medal of her career. When Ragne Wiklund (NOR) and Merel Conijn (NED) finished the final pairing in 6:56.56 and 6:58.49 respectively, she learned the medal would be gold.
It felt like redemption after finishing fifth in Thursday’s 3000m, Lollobrigida said.
“I wanted this so badly and then I destroyed it completely in the 3000m, because I was too nervous and too tense. I was thinking too much about the medal, and when you’re nervous you don’t sleep and you’ll get bad.
“My husband and my father said that I wasn’t smiling, and I said to myself, ‘okay, you just need to relax and have fun during the race’, and I did it today. Before the race, I spoke to Martina and she gave me a lot of energy.”
Lollobrigida was inspired by her son, Tomasso, who was at home in Italy.
“I always want him to understand how strong I am, not because I win, but because I have fun while doing what I love. That’s the message I want to give to him.”
Wiklund settles for silver
While Lollobrigida was celebrating her medal, Wiklund and Conijn tried to top her in the final pairing. Neither had the legs.
Skating in the final 5000m pairing, Ragne Wiklund (NOR) was unable to catch Francesca Lollobrigida and had to settle for silver. © ISU
“I wasn’t very positive before the race, but I managed to keep it together for quite a long time,” Wiklund said. “For each lap that I did flat, I was happily surprised, but then it felt a bit hard in the end.”
After finishing fourth in the 3000m, Wiklund was pleased to end up with a medal.
“I'm happy to have something with me to take home, although it wasn’t exactly what I dreamed of. But then again, I had a good season and being beaten by Lollobrigida is not too bad.”
Conijn skates to second bronze
It was Conijn’s second bronze medal of her maiden ISU World Single Distances Championships, after also taking bronze in the 3000m. Still, she left the Vikingskipet with mixed feelings.
Merel Conijn (NED) had hoped for better in the 5000m, but was happy to earn her second bronze medal of the World Championships. © ISU
“I didn’t think it was a very good race. I’d hoped for better,” she said.
“Normally I’ve got an acceleration in the legs, but this time I never really found my rhythm. It was a different race than I’m used to, but it’s still bronze so I think I can still be happy.”
Takagi caps near-perfect season
Before the women’s long-distance showdown, Miho Takagi (JPN) put a crown on her dominant 1000m season.
Having won five of six World Cup races at the distance, the Olympic Champion managed to edge out Femke Kok (NED) and Jutta Leerdam (NED) in a time of one minute, 14.75 seconds.
Reigning Olympic Champion Miho Takagi (JPN) successfully defended her 1000m title at the ISU World Single Distances Championships. © ISU
“My time was not so fast, but still I’m happy to get the medal,” Takagi said.
“A medal is a medal, but I already focus on the next day (1500m on Sunday), and also I have many things I can improve. I still try to get better.”
Kok, who won Friday’s 500m despite having what she called her “worst race of the season”, surprised herself with a strong 1000m, finishing just .23 seconds behind Takagi.
The Dutchwoman skated in the second of 12 pairings, and no skater other than Takagi was able to top the 1:15 mark.
Femke Kok (NED) was one of just two skaters to crack the 1:15 mark in the women's 1000m at the ISU World Single Distances Championships. © ISU
“I’m quite surprised, actually, but I’m very happy,” Kok said. “This morning, I wouldn’t have thought that I would be that close to the No. 1.”
Kok watched the 1000m battle unfold from the tribune after she skated.
“I went to my parents, friends and family. I thought that others would skate faster than me, but they kept failing to beat my time. It was great to experience that together.”
Leerdam was the last skater to try to surpass her. After Takagi beat Kok’s mark in the penultimate pairing, the Dutch favorite stopped the clock at 1:15.05 in the final race to claim bronze.
Jutta Leerdam (NED) claimed 1000m bronze on Saturday, after winning Team Sprint gold on the opening day and 500m silver on Friday. © ISU
“I don’t know what happened,” Leerdam said. “In hindsight, I regret having skated the Team Sprint. My body just didn’t feel good today. I didn’t have my timing, I was roughing too much, it was just off. I’m gutted, especially because the times the other girls skated are not super fast. I think I could have skated two-10ths (of a second) faster and then I could have become World Champion.”
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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