Pietro Sighel (ITA) completed a clean sweep at the ISU European Short Track Championships 2024 in Gdansk, Poland, on Sunday, winning the men's 1000m final to claim his third gold medal of the weekend after winning the 500m and 1500m on Saturday.
The 24-year-old Italian had won a gold medal at each of last year's European and World Championships but said he would never have imagined that he would hear the Italian national anthem played after three out of three finals at the Hala Olivia.
"It was a perfect weekend," Sighel said after bagging his first international 1000m gold medal ahead of Niall Treacy (GBR) in second place and Stijn Desmet (BEL), who won bronze.
Pietro Sighel (ITA) claims his third gold of a perfect weekend in the 1000m ahead of first-time medalist Niall Treacy (GBR) @ISU
"I don't like 1000m that much but it's closing a circle because it is the first time for me that I get three gold medals in a weekend and it's amazing to do that at the Europeans.
"I don't know who did this before me but it's really incredible. Before leaving Italy I couldn't have imagined this but now I did it and I'm really happy for me, for the team and for the staff."
Group dynamics keep ‘dead’ Sighel’s dream alive
Saturday's 500m and 1500m champion stayed in third place for most of the 1000m final, moving into second place behind Treacy with two laps to go. And over the final stretch there was no-one to challenge the Italian, who crossed the finish line more than a tenth of a second ahead of the Briton.
"The 1000m was really hard after yesterday," Sighel said.
"My legs weren't that good. I felt really, really dead but I tried to accelerate. On the last day, when I'm dead, it is better for me to stay with the group and go at the end. It's what I did, I did my best, I won and it's really incredible for me."
Sighel in a familiar pose as he became only the second male skater to win a clean sweep at the European Championships @ISU
Sighel becomes only the second male short track skater to get a clean sweep at the European championships after Sjinkie Knegt (NED), who won three individual gold medals in Dresden, Germany, in 2018.
"You always think about it but it's difficult to do it in short track, because a lot of things can happen, there is a lot of pressure and the race does not always go how you think. That is why it's incredible for me to win three gold medals," Sighel said.
Best of British Treacy takes maiden medal
Treacy, who had taken the lead in the second lap and kept it until Sighel passed him, was OK with missing out on the gold medal this time.
"It's pretty incredible. This is my first senior international medal so to do that at a championship is really huge," said the 23-year-old Briton, whose teammate Theo Collins made his first international final in the 1000m.
"To have us both in here is just massive for Great British short track. We haven't had the biggest representation at the European championships since Elise [Christie, GBR] left. Hopefully Great British short track can keep going."
Defending champion Stijn Desmet (BEL, right) took 1000m bronze to add to his two relay medals in Gdansk @ISU
He admitted he had no response to the top-performing Italian’s last push.
"I tried my hardest, really. I led most of the race so it was pretty tough and Pietro is on fire right now, winning two gold medals yesterday, so he's got bags of confidence," Treacy said.
"It was unfortunate to let him go but I also had Stijn [Desmet] behind me and he's an incredible finisher in the distance, so I just wanted to hold my tight line and when I crossed the line it was fantastic.”
Three gongs but no gold for Desmet
Defending champion Desmet said it had been "a little bit of a strange race", and said he had not heard the bell announcing the last lap.
"I lost my focus a bit by the end of the race and there was no bell when I expected it," he said.
"I was just in the race, slowly moving, and then suddenly it was the last lap and I felt like I missed my opportunity, so I was a little disappointed by my mental state in that final. But I'm proud that I made all the A finals and [won] a lot of medals this weekend."
With a 1000m bronze, silver in the men's 5000m relay and a bronze in the mixed relay, the 25-year-old Belgian can still look back at a successful championships.
"Total medals is almost perfect. I just couldn't get a win this time so that's a bit disappointing. We were close a few times, but next time," Desmet said.
Mixed feelings for Sighel and Italy as Dutch dominate
Sighel also admitted that team-wise his weekend had just been "almost perfect". Racing the last leg for Italy in the mixed relay, he had made a push past Netherland's Teun Boer and looked like he could bag another gold medal in Gdansk, but fell in the last corner and watched on as the Dutch team of superstars retained their title.
"We were really close to winning the gold but the ice wasn't that good in the end," Sighel said.
"I broke the ice and fell down but it's OK, we tried to win the gold but that's short track."
Boer, who took the mixed title alongside Dutch teammates Kay Huisman, Selma Poutsma and Xandra Velzeboer ahead of Poland and Belgium, also helped the Netherlands defend their men's 5000m gold medal.
Teun Boer, Selma Poutsma, Xandra Velzeboer and Kay Huisman celebrate gold for the Netherlands in the Mixed Relay @ISU
"I'm really happy with it. The goal was to win both gold medals. I think we were favourites and I think it worked out really well," 22-year-old Teun said.
"We were just really strong in the overall team. We have no weak person in our team and we take advantage of that. Most countries have one person who gets really tired at the end or has a little bit less of the top speed, and we show that we've got four really good guys."
Home heroes leave it late
Hosts Poland won their first medals of the weekend in the relays, claiming silver in the 2000m mixed relay and bronze in the men's team event, to the delight of the enthusiastic home crowds in the arena.
"When I woke up this morning I was really focusing on the relays,” said home skater Diané Sellier (POL).
“I knew that we really could do something good, we have really strong teams for mixed and men's relay, so I just felt this,” he added, crediting the audience at Hala Olivia for their part in the glory.
"It's really giving a lot of power to have the audience like this when you skate at home.
Poland's relay teams gave home fans something to cheer with bronze in the men's, above, and silver in the mixed relay @ISU
"It's giving us another person on the ice. We are four skaters in the relay, but this is giving us one big extra person, as if we were five."
In the end of the men's relay, Poland had been battling it out with Hungary for the third place when Michal Niewinski (POL) in the last leg crashed into a falling Hungarian skater but got up quickly to seal the bronze.
"It was a bit dramatic, a bit of a crash, but we finished well," Sellier said.
"I think we could've reached even better at the end but we are taking this today and another time it will be better. We have time until the Olympics and we can see that we are building a really strong team."
For full results, entry lists and further information about the ISU European Short Track Championships 2024, please visit webpage here.
Where to watch
Viewers will be able to watch the Saturday and Sunday afternoon (local time) ISU European Short Track Championships sessions via their national broadcaster/channel.
For countries where there are no broadcasters and for the qualification and repechage races, the ISU will offer a live stream on the Skating ISU YouTube Channel. You will find the full list on the Where to watch webpage here.
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