The ISU World Single Distance Championships will be held for the third time in Inzell (GER) this weekend, with some tantalizing showdowns scheduled on the ice. The schedule:
● 07 February: Men’s 5,000 m; Women’s 3,000 m; Team Sprints
● 08 February: Men’s and Women’s 500 m; Team Pursuits
● 09 February: Men’s and Women’s 1,000 m; Men’s 10,000 m, Women’s 5,000 m
● 10 February: Men’s and Women’s 1,500 m; Men’s and Women’s Mass Start
This has already been a busy season for the speed skaters, with five of the six World Cup stops completed, so the top skaters are well known. The World Cup leaders:
Men
500 m:
1. 452 Pavel Kulizhnikov (RUS) ~ 2015 and 2016 World Champion
2. 366 Tatsuya Shinhama (JPN)
3. 350 Havard Holmefjord Lorentzen (NOR) ~ 2018 Olympic gold medalist
1,000 m:
1. 222 Kjeld Nuis (NED) ~ 2017 World Champion
2. 217 Pavel Kulizhnikov (RUS) ~ 2016 World Champion
3. 217 Havard Holmefjord Lorentzen ~ 2018 Olympic silver medalist
1,500 m:
1. 223 Denis Yuskov (RUS) ~ 2013-15-17 World Champion
2. 203 Seitaro Ichinohe (JPN)
3. 199 Min Seok Kim (KOR) ~ 2018 Olympic bronze medalist
Distances:
1. 237 Sverre Lunde Pedersen (NOR) ~ 2016 World 5,000 m bronze medalist
2. 236 Alexander Rumyantsev (RUS)
3. 212 Marcel Bosker (NED)
Mass Start:
1. 475 Cheonho Um (KOR)
2. 430 Bart Swings (BEL) ~ 2018 Olympic silver medalist
3. 366 Ruslan Zakharov (RUS)
Women
500 m:
1. 504 Vanessa Herzog (AUT)
2. 403 Olga Fatkulina (RUS) ~ 2013 World Championships bronze
3. 388 Angelina Golikova (RUS)
1,000 m:
1. 277 Brittany Bowe (USA) ~ 2015 World Champion; 2013-16 bronze
2. 217 Vanessa Herzog (AUT)
3. 202 Nao Kodaira (JPN) ~ 2018 Olympic 500 m gold; 1,000 m silver
1,500 m:
1. 270 Brittany Bowe (USA) ~ 2015 World Champion; 2016 bronze
2. 217 Ireen Wust (NED) ~ 2018 Olympic gold; 2011-15 World Champion
3. 211 Miho Takagi (JPN) ~ 2018 Olympic 1,000 m bronze; 1,500 m silver
Distances:
1. 250 Martina Sabilkova (CZE) ~ 2018 Olympic 5,000 m silver; 9-time World 5,000 champ
2. 239 Natalia Voronina (RUS) ~ 2018 Olympic 5,000 m bronze medalist
3. 236 Isabelle Weidemann (CAN)
Mass Start:
1. 328 Francesca Lollobrigida (ITA)
2. 316 Bo-Reum Kim (KOR) ~ 2018 Olympic silver medalist; 2017 World Champion
3. 294 Nana Takagi (JPN) ~ 2018 Olympic gold medalist; 2017 World silver medalist
The women’s 500 m standings are somewhat illusory due to Japan’s Kodaira skipping one competition; she is six-for-six in her races at this distance this season, but stands only fifth at 360. Bowe has scored well in eight of the nine 500 m races and is sixth at 348; she is entered in the 500m, but her medal chances are better in the 1,000 m and 1,500 m.
Look for results here.
