ISU

Minutes after sister Hanne won Belgium's first Short Track European gold in the 1000m, brother Stijn Desmet made it two in the Men's event. @ISU

“I was standing on the start line really happy, because I’d just seen my sister win,” he said. “I felt I could do it, too.”

Desmet gets one back against friend and rival Van t’ Wout

Desmet had tussled with Jens van t’ Wout (NED) in the 1500m on Saturday, with the Dutch racer pinching gold on the line ahead of the Belgian, and the two spoke about how, as training partners, they could not be separated.

The point was proved in Poland, with today’s head-to-head a reversal of Saturday’s thriller.

Van t’ Wout had moved to the front with six laps to go, but in a chaotic battle, Desmet hunted down his training partner on the last lap and claimed victory by a whisker.

Desmet claimed a narrow win over training partner Jens van t' Wout (NED) to reverse Saturday's result in the 1500m. @ISU

“This feels nicer than yesterday,” said Desmet. “It was a lot of fun, and this is my first win, which feels great.

“To do it right after Hanne getting her first championship is amazing. If she can do it, I can do it. I was so happy seeing her win and it did give me a boost. I was ready to show the family we can win.

“My mum is here, so she got to see both her children’s first titles. She must be pleased she came all this way.”

Training with the world-class Dutch coaches in Heerenveen, in a deal struck between the Belgian and Netherlands federations, has helped both Stijn and Hanne progress hugely over the last four years.

“The walk to the top is a tough one, and the athletes are very close together,” said Desmet.

“The difference between getting kicked out in the quarter-finals and winning is not all that big, but it is a hard step up to make.

“It takes consistency, no bad luck, and no injuries for a while, and with us training at the highest level for four years now, it has got me to this level. It is paying off more and more.”

Desmet and Van t' Wout were joined on the podium by Furkan Akar, whose bronze represents Turkey's first ever Short Track medal. @ISU

Van t’ Wout relished another fight with his friend.

“I got him yesterday and he got me today,” he said. “It was a good race. It was too bad for me that when I was leading, he had a lot of room behind me, because of all the falls.

“I was watching him, but there was a crash and I got a bit scared and cut inside. I couldn’t hold him back. But I’m happy for Stijn. If there is one person to lose to, it’s him. We have so much fun out there. I like to play games on the ice, and he is the hardest contender.”

Furkan Akar (TUR) also made a little piece of history, securing Turkey’s first ever international medal in Short Track, finishing third in the 1000m.

“I am so happy, this means so much to me, my country and my coach,” he said.

Akar has been improving steadily for a number of years, and attracted attention when he finished sixth in the 1000m at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

“I became famous when that happened,” he said. “So I said I would come here and win a medal, and I have done it.”

Netherlands got gold in the mixed relay, Van t’ Wout and Gdansk quadruple gold medalist Suzanne Schulting beating both Desmets as Belgium came second and Italy third.

Van t' Wout, Suzanne Schulting and Xandra Velzeboer celebrate a Dutch victory in the Mixed Relay. @ISU

They also won the men’s relay, ahead of Italy and Poland, completing an excellent weekend for Van t’ Wout in particular.

The ISU World Cup season returns in Dresden on 3 February.

For all information about the ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships, please visit webpage here.