Femke Kok and Robin Groot led a Dutch golden sweep across all seven Ladies' events at the ISU Junior World Speed Skating Championships in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland, last weekend. Kok won the 500m, the 1000m and retained the Allround title, while Groot collected the 1500m, 3000m and Mass Start gold. Groot also played a part in the Team Pursuit victory, while Kok was instrumental in both the Team Pursuit and the Team Sprint gold.
Robin Groot (NED), Femke Kok (NED) and Marrit Fledderus (NED) at the ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships 2020©International Skating Union (ISU)
Japan and Russia dominated the Men's tournament, with Stepan Chistiakov (RUS) taking the Allound title, and Tsubasa Horikawa (JPN) on top of the medal table with golds in the 1500m and Mass Start events. Defending champion Chung Jaewon (KOR) took silver in the Allround classification.
Kok leads orange medal haul
Kok leaves the junior ranks on a high note. The 19-year-old Dutch prodigy struggled with a jetlag coming off the Senior ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships in Salt Lake City, where she set a junior world record in the 500m and won the Team Sprint title.
Femke Kok (NED) at the ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships 2020©International Skating Union (ISU)
On the first day in Tomaszów Mazowiecki Kok retained her 500m title in 38.49, with Moe Kumagai (JPN) coming second and Robin Groot third. She did not manage to defend her 1500m title, however, with Groot edging her out by 0.24 seconds in 2:01.04. Merel Conijn (NED) completed the all Dutch podium collecting the bronze medal.
On the second day the Dutch Ladies also swept the 1000m podium with Kok winning in 1:17.14. Robin Groot and Marrit Fledderus took silver and bronze.
In the 3000m Kok defended a 10-second gap over Groot for the Allround title and despite a shaky start she managed to keep Groot at bay, finishing fourth at 8.05 from Groot's winning time of 4:13.55. Momoka Horikawa (JPN) took silver and Merel Conijn (NED) bronze.
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Netherlands' Team Pursuit at the ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships 2020©International Skating Union (ISU)
On the final day Kok, Groot and Conijn won the Team Pursuit in 3:08.73, ahead of Japan's Rin Kosaka, Ayuri Fukuoka, Momoka Horikawa (3:11.83) and Russia's Elizaveta Agafoshina, Anastasia Grigoreva, Alexandra Kravchenko (3:14.32)
Netherlands' Team Sprint at the ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships 2020©International Skating Union (ISU)
Together with Myrthe de Boer and Marrit Fledderus, Kok also won the Team Sprint in 1:30.60, ahead of Russia (Elizaveta Agafoshina, Marina Avtonomova, Irina Slesareva) and the Republic of Korea (Kang Soomin, Kim Min Hui, Shin Seung Heun).
The Ladies' Mass Start was called off after Danish Natascha Lindenskov lay down in the track with a severe cut of a skate. The race had a restart after the Men's Mass Start, and Groot, who had crashed in the first race, took the title, holding off defending champion Laura Peveri (ITA). Dutch Merel Conijn took bronze.
Ladies Mass Start at the ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships 2020©International Skating Union (ISU)
Allround champion Chistiakov leaves distance titles to specialists
Jaewon Chung (KOR), Stepan Chistiakov (RUS) and Pavel Taran (RUS) at the ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships 2020©International Skating Union (ISU)
Russian Stepan Chistiakov kept Chung Jae Won (KOR) from taking his second Allround title, without winning a single distance. Chung took silver and Pavel Taran (RUS) bronze. None of the Men on the Allround podium managed to win a single distance gold, leaving the honors to the specialists.
Katsuhiro Kuratsubo (JPN) won the 500m in 35.27, with Artem Arefyev (RUS) taking silver and Wataru Morishige (JPN) bronze.
Kuratsubo also won bronze in the 1000m, behind silver medalist Cho Sang Hyeok (KOR) and Peder Kongshaug (NOR), who took the title in 1:10.81.
Tsubasa Horikawa (JPN) took the 1500m title in 1:49.48, with Chistiakov coming second and Chung third.
Tsubasa Horikawa (JPN) at the ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships 2020©International Skating Union (ISU)
Daniil Aldoshkin (RUS) was the best endurance skater at the ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships, winning the 5000m in 6:36.17, ahead of Yves Vergeer, who took the only Dutch silver in the Men's tournament.
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Daniil Aldoshkin (RUS) at the ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships 2020©International Skating Union (ISU)
Aldoshkin, Chistiakov and Taran handed Russia Team Pursuit gold in 3:52.39 on the final day. The Russian Men left Japan (Motonaga Arito, Tsubasa Horikawa, Taiyo Morino), and the Netherlands (Jarle Gerrits, Harm Visser, Yves Vergeer) behind.
Korea's Team Sprint at the ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships 2020©International Skating Union (ISU)
The Republic of Korea (Cho Sang Hyeok, Oh Sang Hun, Lee Byeong Hun) won the Team Sprint in 1:22.13, leaving Russia (Aldoshkin, Chistiakov, Arefyev) more than a second behind. The Dutch men (Jarle Gerrits, Kai In 't Veld, Stefan Westenbroek) took bronze again.
In a chaotic finish of the Men's Mass Start, Yves Vergeer crashed and Tsubasa Horikawa (JPN) added a second gold to Friday's 1500m title. Gabriel Odor (AUT) took silver and en Jaewan Shin (KOR) bronze.
Mass Start at the ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships 2020©International Skating Union (ISU)
For further information regarding the ISU Junior World Speed Skating Championships please visit the Championships Page on ISU.org. Click here for results.
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