Collalbo, Italy

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Antoinette de Jong (NED) ESSC 2019©International Skating Union (ISU) 1080773326

Antoinette de Jong (NED) at the European Speed Skating Championships 2019©International Skating Union (ISU)

Antoinette de Jong (NED) took a head start to the tournament, winning the 500m in 39.19 seconds. The 23-year-old Dutch skater was 0.07 faster than Elizaveta Kazelina (RUS) and 0.36 faster than Francesca Lollobrigida (ITA), who came third in a personal best of 39.56 on home ice. 

Martina Sáblíková (CZE) did manage to gain time back in the 3000m. The Czech skater stopped the clock at 4 minutes and 8.22 seconds, finishing faster than third-placed Lollobrigida (4:11.28) and Russian long-distance specialist Natalya Voronina (4:11.30), who came fourth in the 3000m. But it was not enough. De Jong started after Sáblíková. She was a few tenths behind the Czech racer's split times for most of the race, but managed to edge out the 31-year-old by 0.15 seconds after a superior final lap to clock 4:08.07.

aa Verbij Lorentzen 1000m 12 January

Kai Verbij (NED) and Håvard Lorentzen (NOR) at the ISU European Speed Skating Championships 2019©International Skating Union (ISU)

Kai Verbij (NED) kept all challengers at bay in the 500m. The Dutchman clocked 35.23 seconds in the seventh pair after Norway's Henrik Fagerli Rukke had given him something to aim at with 35.36 in the third pair. None of the other skaters were able to beat Rukke's time, leaving the 22-year-old Norwegian to take silver in the first 500m. Olympic 500m Champion Håvard Lorentzen (NOR) stopped the clock at 35.58 to end up fourth, while the Olympic 1000m Champion Kjeld Nuis (NED) came third in 35.47. In the 1000m, Verbij skated a track record time (1:08.97). Russia's Victor Lobas (RUS) came second in the 1000m with 1:09.80 and with 1:09.89, Lorentzen secured third place.

Clocking in at 34.93 seconds Kai Verbij (NED) was the only skater to stay under 35 seconds in the Sprint tournament. He was 0.30 seconds faster than the 35.23 he registered on the first day and fell just 0.04 seconds short of Jeremy Wotherspoon’s (CAN) 2004 track record. Håvard Lorentzen (NOR) came second in 35.10 and Artyom Kuznetsov (RUS) was third in 35.27.

Thomas Krol (NED) ESSC 2019©International Skating Union (ISU) 1081351740

Thomas Krol (NED) at the ISU European Speed Skating Championships 2019©International Skating Union (ISU)

In the 1000m Thomas Krol (NED) made amends for his crash on Friday. With his chances of a good classification in tatters the Dutchman gave it his all in the final distance of the Sprint Tournament. With 1:08.68 Krol set a track record in the first pairing. Norway’s Rukke clocked 1:10.12 for 10th place in the distance, which turned out to be enough to hang on to third place overall, after his main rival Artyom Kuznetsov (RUS) finished just 0.01 faster.

Patrick Roest and Sven Kramer (NED) ESSC 2019©International Skating Union (ISU) 1081800166

Patrick Roest (NED) and Sven Kramer (NED) at the ISU European Speed Skating Championships 2019©International Skating Union (ISU)

Patrick Roest (NED) was in pole position after the first day of the men's Allround tournament, but the gaps between the top three skaters were very small. Sven Kramer (NED) in second place, just 0.13 seconds behind for Sunday’s 1500m. Sverre Lunde Pedersen (NOR) is 0.20 seconds behind the leader in third place.

Antoinette de Jong (NED) started the second day of the tournament where she had left off on the first - winning. Her victory in the 1500m maintained a perfect streak of three distance wins in picturesque Collalbo. The 23-year-old Dutch classification leader faced second-ranked Francesca Lollobrigida (ITA) in the final pairing. Martina Sáblíková (CZE) came third in 1:58.07, to surpass five-time European Allround champion Ireen Wüst (NED) in the battle for third place overall.

 

Herzog in pole position to retain Sprint title While De Jong skated to Allround glory, Vanessa Herzog (AUT) started the defense of her European Sprint title with a track record in the 500m. With a flying 37.61 she was the only skater to cross the line in less than 38 seconds on the first day of the Ladies' Sprint tournament. Russian pair Olga Fatkulina (38.13) and Daria Kachanova (38.15) came second and third respectively.

Vanessa Herzog (AUT) ESSC 2019©International Skating Union (ISU) 1081806732

Vanessa Herzog (AUT) at the ISU European Speed Skating Championships 2019©International Skating Union (ISU)

World Allround champion Patrick Roest was in pole position following the 500m and the 5000m on the first day, but the 23-year-old was unable to defend his 0.13 second lead over Sven Kramer in the 1500m on Sunday morning. With a time of 1:45.91, the experienced Kramer - who had triumphed in the 5000m on Saturday - took his second distance win in the tournament to leave Roest 0.49 behind in second place. Sverre Lunde Pedersen took the 1500m bronze in 1:46.65 to keep the two Dutchmen in his sights with only the 10,000m to come.

Two blistering 500m races laid the foundation for Vanesse Herzog (AUT) to win her second successive European Sprint title. Both times the athletes took to the ice over that distance in Collalbo, she was the only one who stopped the clock in less than 38 seconds. In Sunday's race she was 0.01 slower than she had been the day before, but 37.62 was still 0.42 quicker than Olga Fatkulina (RUS), who repeated her silver-winning 500m performance from the previous day. Daria Kachanova (RUS) once more took bronze in the shortest distance with 38.22. Herzog went into the final 1000m with a 1.40 second advantage over Fatkulina, who was in second place after three distances. With 1:15.89 and third place in the longer distance, Herzog secured her title. She was 0.65 seconds faster than she had been on the first day.

Olga Fatkulina (RUS) Vanessa Herzog (AUT) Daria Kachanova (RUS) ESSC 2019©International Skating Union 1081801170

Olga Fatkulina (RUS), Vanessa Herzog (AUT) and Daria Kachanova (RUS) at the ISU European Speed Skating Championships 2019©International Skating Union (ISU)

Kachanova, who was 1.53 behind Herzog and 0.13 behind Fatkulina going into the final race, had won Saturday's first 1000m and she triumphed again on Sunday. Finishing in 1:15.21 the 21-yearold Russian broke Anni Friesinger's (GER) 2006 track record (1:15.47). Jutta Leerdam (NED) came second in the distance with 1:15.76, to take fourth place overall. Fatkulina ended up fourth in the 1000m with 1:16.46 and saw her young compatriot pass to second place in the overall ranking.