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≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡
American speed skaters were superb during the World Cup seasons in speed skating and Short Track in the 2024-25 season but that did not translate to the hoped-for success during the ISU World Championships, both held this weekend.
The U.S. won six medals at the Speed Skating Worlds, but none in Short Track, in events dominated by The Netherlands and Canada.
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The 2025 ISU World Single Distance Championships were in Hamar (NOR), and despite strong World Cup seasons from skaters in the U.S., Japan, Italy and elsewhere, the overall result was the same as always:
The Netherlands came out on top.
The Dutch led the medal count in Hamar again, for the 12th Single-Distance Worlds in a row, and 18th straight time counting a tie in 2009. The last World Single Distance champs were the Dutch were out-medaled was way back in 2001, when the Germans topped the table.
New star Jenning De Boo, 21, won the men’s 500 m in 34.24, ahead of defending champion Jordan Stolz of the U.S. (34.38), with fellow American Cooper Mcleod getting his first-ever Worlds individual medal in 34.52 in third.
De Boo had to settle for silver in the 1,000 m, as teammate Joep Wennemars, 22, won his first Worlds gold in 1:08.05, with De Boo at 1:08.21 and defending champ Stolz at 1:08.26 for the bronze; Mcleod was fourth at 1:08.40.
The home fans were thrilled with wins by Peder Kongshaug (1,500 m) and Sander Eitrem (5,000 m). Kongshaug, 23, won in 1:44.64, with Stolz, again the defending champion, second in 1:44.71 and Connor Howe (CAN) third in 1:44.78. Eitrem was the bronze winner in 2024, but won the 5,000 m this time in 6:10.05, ahead of Beau Snellink (NED: 6:11.72). Casey Dawson of the U.S. was 10th in 6:21.20.
Italian star Davide Ghiotto won his third straight 10,000 m title in 12:46.15, with Vladimir Semirunnly (POL) second in 12:49.93. Dawson finished eighth in 13:06.75. The Mass Start was the first Worlds individual gold for Andrea Giovannini (ITA) in 7:56.47, ahead of Seung-hoon Lee (KOR: 7:56.52) and Olympic champ Bart Swings (BEL: 7:56.69). American Emery Lehman was fifth in 7:57.37.
China won the Team Sprint in 1:18.13, ahead of The Netherlands (1:18.42), with the American team of Austin Kleba, Mcleod and Zach Stoppelmoor winning bronze in 1:19.23.
The lone U.S. gold of the meet was in the men’s Team Pursuit, with the trio of Dawson, Lehman and Ethan Cepuran finishing in 3:39.24, to swamp Italy (3:41.17) and the Dutch (3:41.91). This is an Olympic event for 2026 and the U.S. is a clear medal favorite.
The women’s skating was all about the Dutch, who won six of eight events.
Joy Beune, the 2024 Worlds 5,000 m winner, was the star, winning the 1,500 m in 1:55.28 and the 3,000 m in 4:00.39. She led teammate Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong (1:55.50) for a 1-2 in the 1,500 m and a 1-3 in the 3,000 m with Merel Conijn third in 4:01.22. Czech star Martina Sabilkova, 37, won her 27th career Worlds medal with a 3,000 m silver in 4:00.57.
Beune won a third gold in the Team Pursuit, as she, Rijpma-de Jong and Marijke Groenewoud won easily in 2:56.09, ahead of Japan (2:58.55); the U.S. was fifth in 3:02.25, with Brittany Bowe, Mia Manganello and Greta Myers.
Groenewoud got an individual win in the women’s Mass Start, in 8:23.17, beating Canada’s Ivanie Blondin (8:23.37) and Italian Francesca Lollobrigida (8:23.58). Manganello of the U.S. finished fifth (8:24.14). Lollobrigida won the 5,000 m in 6:56.38, beating 2023 World 3,000 m champ Ragne Wiklund (NOR: 6:56.56).
In the sprints, Femke Kok won the women’s 500 m in 37.50, leading another Dutch 1-2, ahead of Jutta Leerdam, the 2023 bronze medalist at this distance (37.69). Olympic champ Erin Jackson of the U.S. was fifth in 37.95. The Netherlands, with Leerdam, Suzanne Schulting and Angel Daleman, won the Team Sprint in 1:25.57, with Canada a distant second in 1:27.23.
The only non-European women’s winner was Japan’s Olympic 1,000 m champ Miho Takagi, who won the 1,000 in 1:14.75, ahead of Kok (1:14.98) and Leerdam (1:15.05). Jackson was 11th in 1:16.11 and former World Champion Bowe was 13th (1:16.23).
The final totals showed the Dutch with 18 medals (8-6-4), ahead of the U.S. with six (1-2-3) and Italy with five (3-1-1).
Stolz was still feeling the effects of strep throat and pneumonia and was not at his best, explaining:
“Everything that happened the last month probably played into it. I felt like I got all my power into the ice. Technically, I thought it was good, but I just didn’t have it in the legs. It’s just going to take a little bit more time to build it back, so I wasn’t ready for this.”
Still, he won three individual medals. Jackson and Bowe, the U.S.’s stalwarts in the women’s sprints, did not perform as hoped, but Mcleod and the men’s Pursuit were positive signs ahead of the 2026 Winter Games.
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Canada dominated the ISU World Short Track Championships in Beijing (CHN), leading the medal table with 10 total medals and six wins; no one else had more than one.
The star was Steven Dubois, a Beijing 2022 men’s Olympic medalist at 500 m (bronze) and 1,500 m (silver), who won the 500 m in 40.008 over Denis Nikisha (KAZ: 40.096) and 2023 Worlds bronzer Jens Van’t Wout (40.163).
Dubois followed up with a win in the 1,000 m in 1:23.348, ahead of defending champion and teammate William Dandjinou (1:23.352). Then Dandjinou won the 1,500 m in 2:15.064, ahead of 2022 bronze winner Stijn Desmet (BEL: 2:15.176) and 2022 World Champion Shaoang Liu (CHN).
Both Dubois and Dandjinou won an added gold in the 4,000 m relay, as Canada won a tight battle with China, 6:41.271 to 6:41.840. The U.S. team of Andrew Heo, Marcus Howard, Brandon Kim and Sean Shuai finished fourth in 6:42.700.
The U.S. women had great success during the World Cup season with seasonal winner Kristen Santos-Griswold and Corinne Stoddard, but neither was a factor. Stoddard decided not to compete for health reasons and Santos-Griswold crashed during the Friday qualifying round of the Mixed Relay and did not skate again. After winning six medals at the 2024 Worlds, the U.S. won none.
Dutch sprint star Xandra Velzeboer won her third career Worlds gold at 500 m in 42.132, ahead of Canada’s Rikki Doak (42.286) and Belgium’s 2022 Olympic bronze medalist Hanne Desmet took the women’s 1,000 m in 1:28.641, just ahead of two-time Worlds bronzer Courtney Sauralt (CAN: 1:28.939) with Velzeboer third (1:28.991).
Two-time Olympic champ Min-jeong Choi (KOR) won the 1,500 m for the fourth time in her career in 2:27.136 – her 17th Worlds gold! – with Saurault just behind in 2:27.194 and defending champion Gil-li Kim (KOR: 2:27.257) in third.
Canada won the women’s 3,000 m relay in 4:09.254, just beating Poland (4:09.321), then added a final gold in the 2,000 m Mixed Relay, with Kim Boutin, Florence Brunette, Dandjinou and Dubois winning in 2:36.232, ahead of Italy (2:36.619) and Poland (2:41.860).
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