The allround skaters gathered in Heerenveen, the Netherlands this weekend for the Essent ISU World Allround Speed Skating Championships, where Martina Sábliková (CZE) and Sven Kramer (NED) successfully defended their respective title. Kramer won his fourth title in a row, something nobody ever accomplished before him, for Sáblíková it was the second title.
Ladies
The favourites for the podium were Martina Sáblíkova (CZE), former champion Kristina Groves (CAN), Olympic 1500m champion Ireen Wüst (NED), and Daniela Anschütz-Thoms (GER). On the 500m podium it is common to see skaters who are better in the shorter distances rather than in the allround. Seven skaters raced the 500 within 40 seconds but only one of them could keep it within 39 seconds: Yekaterina Shikhova (RUS). She won in 38.83. Her compatriot Yekaterina Lobysheva was second in 39.15 and in third place finished 17-year-old Karolina Erbanová (CZE) who skated a junior-B track record with 39.31. Kristina Groves finished fourth with 39.31, then Hege Bøkko (NOR) in a new NJR of 39.46, then came Wüst with 39.54. Sáblíková needed 40.25 and had to make up for the lost time in the next distance. Also Anschütz-Thoms wasn’t in top shape anymore with 40.48.
In the 3000m, indeed Sáblíková won, but her lead wasn’t very big. First, after a good 4:07.39 by American debutant Jilleanne Rookard, Wüst had an impressive race, only the last lap was a bit tough, but her time 4:05.10 was her best in a long time. After her, Sáblíková was paired with Stephanie Beckert (GER). Beckert didn’t quite reach Wüst’s time and finished third with 4:05.62, Sáblíková won with 4:03.59. Again, Kristina Groves finished close to the podium with 4:05.98 and Anschütz-Thoms finished in 4:06.82. Bøkko was again the only lady to skate a personal best and another NJR, 4:14.90. 17-year old Do-Yeong Park (KOR) improved the junior-B track record to 4:14.96. This meant that Wüst was leading the classification after the first day with 80.390. Groves was second with only 0.08 second to make up on the 1500m. Third was Sáblíková with 80.848 points. Shikhova, who might gain on the 1500m but wasn’t dangerous on the final 5000m, followed, then came Rookard and Anschütz-Thoms.
On Sunday, the ladies started with the 1500m. After the 3000m, it seemed all three Norwegian ladies were out of the 5000m. Maren Haugli had finished in 8th place on the long distance, and that was enough after all, when Lobysheva did not skate a good race and dropped to 11th in the ranking. In order to qualify for the last distance, you need to be in the top-12 on both the 3000m and the ranking, or else be high on one of those two rankings. Stephanie Beckert could skate because of her third place in the 3000m, Cindy Klassen qualified by a 1500 that brought her past Elma de Vries into the top-12. It was Kristina Groves who won the distance in 1:56.64, beating Ireen Wüst in a woman-to-woman duel. Wüst finished in 1:56.86 and lost the overall lead with that. Sáblíková finished in third place with 1:57.23, not losing much time with her strongest distance yet to come. Anschütz-Thoms was fourth. Groves was now leading with 119.296 points, a minor lead over Wüst who had 119.343 points and then came Sáblíková with 119.924 points.
On the 5000m Stephanie Beckert set the standard with 6:55.30, when Sáblíková skated, paired with Wüst. Wüst tried to attack after 1000m, but couldn’t keep up that pace, while Sáblíková had no problem following her. The Czech set the fastest time with 6:50.98 and Wüst struggled towards 7:07.63, which was even behind Haugli (7:03.13) and Rookard (7:06.94). In the final pair Kristina Groves could lose 6.28 to the time of Sáblíková but that was too much to ask. She lost to Anschütz in the second half of the race. Anschütz took third place with 6:59.93, Groves had 7:02.16 and was again fourth on the distance.
Sáblíková had become champion with a NR of 161.022 points, second was Groves with 161.512 and third Wüst with 162.106. Then followed Anschütz and Rookard.
Sáblíková: “It’s a super season, I have no words for it. This title is the biggest surprise, I didn’t even want to start here two weeks ago. I was too tired. But I agreed to come to the World Cup last week and see how it would go, and once you are on the ice, it feels differently. Today four laps before the end my legs were finished, but I tried and told myself these were the last meters of the season, and now I can rest.”
Men
The men started on Friday with the 500 and 5000m races. For the first time since 1994 there was an Australian participant in the World Allround Championships. Joshua Lose heard 3 days ago that he could start, but had been ill and not been able to eat anything except white rice, because of which he could not show his potential and had to withdraw for the 1500m. Another country represented after a long time was New Zealand with Shane Dobbin, a four time inline world champion who impressed here on the long distances in his first long track season.
Polish Konrad Niedzwiedzki won the 500m in a good time, 35.68, Joel Eriksson (SWE) finished in second place with 36.25 and debutant Jonathan Kuck (USA) surprised with a personal best of 36.31, taking third place. Of the favourites for the title, Sven Kramer (NED), who entered the tournament with respirational problems, finished sixth with 36.45, Håvard Bøkko (NOR) had a disappointing 500; after a good opening it looked like he was scared in the turns and finished in 36.62, losing too much on Kramer already. Last two times he fell on the 500m in an allround tournament, this time at least he came through. Ivan Skobrev was 12th with 36.78. Ted-Jan Bloemen (NED) skated a pb of 36.87 and was 13th.
In the 5000m, Bloemen skated a strong 6:23.41 taking the lead before the first ice resurfacing break with 75.211 points. Niedzwiedzki and Eriksson dropped in the ranking because of poorer long distances, but then 20-year-old Jonathan Kuck skated. His start wasn’t as fast as Bloemen’s, but he saved some 29 laps to the last part of the race, getting closer and closer to Bloemen’s time. With 6:23.47 he came very close and he took the overall lead with 74.657 points.
Bøkko, who won the distance last week, started a bit faster than he finished, and he reached 6:21.08. Faster than Bloemen, but not enough to pass Kuck in the ranking, as the combined 500 and 5000 gave him 74.728 points. Then Kramer raced. The first 8 laps it went easily, but the last 4 laps were tougher for him. Still, he beat Bøkko’s time with 6:19.63 and also took the overall lead, 74.413. Ivan Skobrev with 6:23.88 moved up to 4th in the rankings with 75.168.
This meant that the top three skaters were within one second from each other in the 1500m. But that distance got a surprise winner. First Niedzwiedzki set 1:47.19 and moved past Matteo Anesi and Joel Eriksson to a place in the last distance. Lucas Makowsky was faster. He skated 1:46.15. In the next pair, Trevor Marsicano came between them with 1:46.70, his best race of the season. In the last two pairs the title contenders skated. Håvard Bøkko was paired with Ivan Skobrev. Skobrev had a good first lap, but then coming out of the turn he stepped on a lane marker, lost his balance and regained it, but hurt his groin. At that point he decided the season had been enough for him, he free-wheeled to the end and finished last in 1:58.87. Another challenger less; he withdrew for the 10,000. Bøkko’s 1:47.68 was not very impressive either. It was a time that Kramer could handle. The 3-fold world champion skated in the final pair with Jonathan Kuck. The American boldly took the lead. Before he entered the inner turn after the first lap, he already had overtaken Kramer, and Kuck improved his personal best on this distance too, and won it with 1:45.36, which gave him 109.777 points. Makowsky and Marsicano completed the podium and Sven finished fourth, with 1:47.19. It brought him behind Kuck in the ranking: 110.023 points. Third was Bøkko with 110.621 points.
On the final 10,000m the best skaters were in the final pairs, but when they started, Shane Dobbin from New Zealand had already skated a NR of 13:30.30 and Sverre Haugli (NOR) had the fastest time with 13:18.39. Kramer didn’t give it away. In a strong race he finished in 12:57.97, beating his pairmate Bøkko by 15 seconds: 13.12.15. Leader in the rankings, Jonathan Kuck, skated in the final pair. He could lose not more than 4.92 second to Kramer, but his personal best time was above 13:30. Still, he didn’t fear his mission. He raced in pair with Bloemen and they both opened faster than Kramer. Kuck kept that pace until 4400m, Bloemen was just a little behind Kuck. Then Kuck’s laptimes began to drop little by little. His first 32 lap was welcomed loudly by the calculating crowd. At 7200m was the moment that Kuck’s time dropped far enough behind Kramer’s to lose his virtual lead. In the final two laps, Bloemen sprinted past Kuck and took the bronze on the distance with 13:13.56. Kuck finished in a new pb of 13:15.62 in fourth.
So Sven Kramer with 148.921 points became the first man in history to win four world titles in a row. Jonathan Kuck, a 20-year-old former short track skater was the surprise of the weekend with a pb of 149.558 points and third in the ranking was Håvard Bøkko with 150.228.
Kramer: “I am happy that I could finish the season like that. Last week I was in doubt if I could participate but in this tournament I got better and better. I tried to skate around 13 minutes; I knew Kuck could not reach that, calculating from his 5000m time. But he has been added to my future challengers.”
In total there were 10 personal bests, 3 in the men’s 500m. 2 NJRs for Hege Bøkko, on the 500 and 3000m. Jonathan Kuck’s winning 1500m and his and Blokhuijzen’s 10,000m time as well as the NR for New Zealand’s Shane Dobbin and in the ladies’ 5000m Shikhova. Also the points for Sábliková were a NR.
Essent ISU World Allround Speed Skating Championships –Heerenveen (NED)
Medal Winners
500m Ladies
|
1 |
Yekaterina Shikhova |
RUS |
38.83 |
|
2 |
Yekaterina Lobysheva |
RUS |
39.15 |
|
3 |
Karolina Erbanová |
CZE |
39.31 TR B |
3000m Ladies
|
1 |
Martina Sáblíková |
CZE |
4:03.59 |
|
2 |
Ireen Wüst |
NED |
4:05.10 |
|
3 |
Stephanie Beckert |
GER |
4:05.62 |
1500m Ladies
|
1 |
Kristina Groves |
CAN |
1:56.64 |
|
2 |
Ireen Wüst |
NED |
1:56.86 |
|
3 |
Martina Sáblíková |
CZE |
1:57.23 |
5000m Ladies
|
1 |
Martina Sábliková |
CZE |
6:50.98 |
|
2 |
Stephanie Beckert |
GER |
6:55.30 |
|
3 |
Daniela Anschütz-Thoms |
GER |
6:59.93 |
500m Men
|
1 |
Konrad Niedzwiedzki |
POL |
35.68 |
|
2 |
Joel Eriksson |
SWE |
36.25 |
|
3 |
Jonathan Kuck |
USA |
36.31 |
5000m Men
|
1 |
Sven Kramer |
NED |
6:19.63 |
|
2 |
Håvard Bøkko |
NOR |
6:21.08 |
|
3 |
Ted-Jan Bloemen |
NED |
6:23.41 |
1500m Men
|
1 |
Jonathan Kuck |
USA |
1:45.36 PB |
|
2 |
Lucas Makowsky |
CAN |
1:46.15 |
|
3 |
Trevor Marsicano |
USA |
1:46.70 |
10,000m Men
|
1 |
Sven Kramer |
NED |
12:57.97 |
|
2 |
Håvard Bøkko |
NOR |
13:12.13 |
|
3 |
Ted-Jan Bloemen |
NED |
13:13.56 |
TOTAL Ladies
|
1 |
Martina Sáblíková |
CZE |
161.022 NR
40.25(11)-4:03.59(1)-1:57.23(3)-6:50.98(1) |
|
2 |
Kristina Groves |
CAN |
161.512
39.42(4)-4:05.98(4)-1:56.64(1)-7:02.16(4) |
|
3 |
Ireen Wüst |
NED |
162.106
39.54(6)-4:05.10(2)-1:56.86(2)-7:07.63(7) |
TOTAL Men
|
1 |
Sven Kramer |
NED |
148.921
36.45(6)-6:19.63(1)-1:46.83(4)-12:57.97(1) |
|
2 |
Jonathan Kuck |
USA |
149.558
36.31(3)-6:23.47(4)-1:45.36(1)-13:15.62(4) |
|
3 |
Håvard Bøkko |
NOR |
150.227
36.62(9)-6:21.08(2)-1:47.68(6)-13:12.13(2) |
