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One week on from their staggering Team Pursuit World Cup win in Salt Lake City, USA confirmed their status with another gold medal, claiming the World Cup Trophy in the process. The Americans showed the depth of their team, keeping last week’s anchor Joey Mantia (USA) on the bench in Calgary. Earlier on Sunday Viktor Mushtakov (RUS) won the 500m while Ning Zhongyan (CHN) took his career first 1000m World Cup gold.
From underdogs to champions
With three minutes and 35.59 seconds, Ethan Cepuran, Emery Lehman and Casey Dawson (USA) broke the 2017 Calgary track record set by Jan Blokhuijsen, Sven Kramer and Koen Verweij (NED).
Joey Mantia, who won Saturday’s 1500m, did not start and the others showed that it made little difference.
Ethan Cepuran, Casey Dawson, and Emery Lehman (USA) © International Skating Union (ISU)
“We trained, so any three of the four can do it. Whoever's feeling it that day can do it,” Cepuran said.
Lehman added: “We have the luxury of having two teams that we know now can win. So I think we can all rest easy, knowing that we can not only rely on the two other guys out there skating with us, but also the alternate that we have on the infield just waiting to step in.”
With their back-to-back gold Team USA also secured the season’s World Cup Trophy.
“I don't know if anybody was really expecting that,” Dawson said. “The team started in the B group at the first World Cup, so who knows?
Lehman insisted that it was less of a surprise for the Americans themselves than it had been for the outside world.
“Going into this season we may have been the underdog to other people but in the back of our minds we knew that there was a target on our heads.
“We knew that, based on the times we're doing in practice, we are capable of skating in the 1500m and the 5000m, that we could come out of the World Cups with medals, maybe even the Olympics with a medal.”
Norway second with Pedersen back in the team
Norway (Peder Kongshaug, Hallgeir Engebråten and Sverre Lunde Pedersen) took silver in 3:36.24, and also came in second in the season ranking.
“We’re pretty satisfied,” Pedersen said. “Of course we went for the victory but USA was overall the strongest team and they put down a world record last weekend, so they're really strong and maybe the biggest favorites for the Olympic Games.”
Norway, USA and Canada © International Skating Union (ISU)
Pedersen was happy to be back in the team. The veteran is still recovering from a severe bike accident in summer training.
The Team Pursuit medal gave him confidence in his struggle to get back into shape for the Olympic Games but he doesn’t know whether he will be selected to skate the 5000m for Norway - they only have one Olympic slot in the distance.
Canada still working on tactics
Canada (Jordan Belchos, Ted-Jan Bloemen and Connor Howe) took bronze in 3:38.60, ending up third in the season’s ranking.
The team is still searching for the right tactics.
“We need to do better. We're just talking about what you can do better,” Bloemen said.
Belchos added: “We're trying to learn different strategies and practise them under this kind of pressure, to see if we can do them at the (Olympic) Games.
“We see a lot of teams pushing the whole way. You see some combinations of pushing and leading. So we’re trying to find, I guess, one of these different combinations, and the strengths and weaknesses to each one.”
Mushtakov makes amends
Viktor Mushtakov (RUS) started the final day of competition of the World Cup weekend with a personal best of 33.90 and gold in the 500m.
The Russian took his first medal of the season, making amends after crashing in Salt Lake City last week.
“I was fourth three times and today was the last chance to show a good result. It was not a perfect race but I’m satisfied with the time.”
Mushtakov followed up his 500m victory with a bronze in the 1000m.
Viktor Mushtakov (RUS) © International Skating Union (ISU)
“After my crash in Salt Lake City, I had a problem with my neck. Despite this I’ve got two medals. I’m leaving Canada in a good mood,” he said.
Yuma Murakami (JPN) celebrated his 29th birthday with a silver medal in 33.99s, after claiming bronze on Friday.
“I’m happy with my shape and I’m fully recovered from a shoulder injury I suffered in November,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to the Japanese Olympic trials but it’s going to be very hard to qualify for the 500m with so many great sprinters in Japan.”
Laurent Dubreuil (CAN) followed up Friday’s track record and gold medal with bronze in 34.06s on Sunday.
Ning takes 1000m as Stolz breaks his own record
Ning Zhongyan (CHN), who already collected a 1500m gold in this season’s World Cup, added a first 1000m gold to his tally in 1:06.65.
Jordan Stolz (USA) finished second, breaking the junior world record he had set last week in Salt Lake City in 1:06.96 and Mushtakov clocked 1:06.98 to take the bronze.
Ning Zhongyan (CHN) © International Skating Union (ISU)
500m Men
ISU World Cup Speed Skating Standings 500m Men
1000m Men
ISU World Cup Speed Skating Standings 1000m Men
Team Pursuit Men
ISU World Cup Team Pursuit Women Standings Team Pursuit Men
The event entry quotas for the individual distances will be determined by the Special Olympic Qualification Classification (SOQC) based on results from the different ISU World Cup Speed Skating Competitions and the full details are available in ISU Communication 2405.
For full entry lists and further information regarding the ISU World Cup Speed Skating Series please visit: isu.org/speed-skating. Results are here and you can follow the discussion on social media by using #SpeedSkating.
Where to Watch
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Highlights, clips, interviews, behind the scenes:
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Follow the conversation with #SpeedSkating.
For further information on ISU Speed Skating visit https://www.isu.org/speed-skating
ISU World Cup Speed Skating Series 2021/22:
Tomaszów Mazowiecki (POL) – Nov 12 – 14, 2021
Stavanger (NOR) - Nov 19 - Nov 21, 2021
Salt Lake City (USA) - Dec 03 - Dec 05, 2021
Calgary (CAN) – Dec 10 - Dec 12, 2021
Final – Heerenveen (NED) – Mar 12 - Mar 13, 2022
About ISU World Cup Speed Skating Series
The ISU World Cup Speed Skating is a Series of international Speed Skating competitions which takes place annually. The Series started in 1984 and usually consists of six or seven Events including the ISU World Cup Speed Skating Final. However during the Olympic season the Series consists of five Events.
Skaters can earn points at each competition, and the Skater who has the most points on a given distance at the end of the Series is the World Cup winner of that distance. The World Cup Competitions held from November to December serve as qualifying events for entry quotas at the ISU European, World Single Distances, World Sprint and World Allround Speed Skating Championships and during the Olympic season they are Olympic Qualifying Events. A number of World Cup titles are awarded every season; For Men: 500m, 1000m, 1500m, combined 5000m / 10,000m, Mass Start, Team Pursuit and Team Sprint. For Women 500m, 1000m, 1500m, the combined 3000m / 5000m, Mass Start, Team Pursuit and Team Sprint. For further information please visit isu.org/WorldCupSpeedSkating.
