The famous Hamar Vikingskipet, home of the 1994 Olympic Speed Skating, will host the first combined ISU World Sprint & World Allround Speed Skating Championships in Speed Skating history this weekend. Previously the Allround and Sprint Championships were held separately. Last year Patrick Roest (NED) and Martina Sáblíková (CZE) won the ISU World Allround Speed Skating titles in Calgary, while Pavel Kulizhnikov (RUS) and Nao Kodaira (JPN) took the ISU World Sprint Speed Skating titles in Heerenveen. All four champions will be present in Hamar to defend their titles. The Sprint Championships are on Friday and Saturday and the Allround tournaments on Saturday and Sunday.
Sprint Men: Who can beat Kulizhnikov?
After winning both the 500m and the 1000m title at the ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships in Salt Lake City, another win is what you would expect from the defending champion Pavel Kulizhnikov (RUS) in Hamar.
Kai Verbij (NED) at the ISU World Sprint Speed Skating Championships 2019©International Skating Union (ISU)
Kulizhnikov already won the ISU World Sprint Speed Skating Championships title in 2015, 2016 and 2019. In the years in between, Kai Verbij (NED) and Håvard Lorentzen (NOR) took the honors, but both the Dutchman and the Norwegian haven't shown too much this season yet.
Kjeld Nuis (NED) at the ISU World Sprint Speed Skating Championships 2019©International Skating Union (ISU)
Kjeld Nuis (NED), who took silver in 2018, could be one of Kulizhnikov's challengers, but the Dutchman is much slower in the 500m and in the 1000m at the ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships in Salt Lake City two weeks ago, he conceded more than a second when the Russian skated his world record of 1:05.69.
Kulizhnikov's main rivals might be his own team-mates Ruslan Murashov and Viktor Mushtakov. The Russians have consistently dominated the 500m ISU World Cup Speed Skating ranking in absence of Kulizhnikov when he suffered from an injury in the first half of the season.
Tatsuya Shinhama (JPN) at the ISU World Cup Speed Skating (POL) 2019©International Skating Union (ISU)
Last year's runner up Tatsuya Shinhama (JPN) aims at a podium spot again this season, after his 500m bronze at the ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships.
Sprint Ladies: Kodaira, Leerdam and the Russian troika
Nao Kodaira (JPN) at the ISU World Cup Speed Skating (CAN) 2019©International Skating Union (ISU)
Nao Kodaira (JPN) may not be as dominant in the Ladies sprinting field as Kulizhnikov is in the Men's, but the Japanese superstar is favorite to win her career third Sprint title after 2017 and 2019.
Jorien ter Mors (NED) at the ISU World Cup Speed Skating (KAZ) 2019©International Skating Union (ISU)
2018 champion Jorien ter Mors (NED) had a difficult season so far, but she managed to qualify for the Hamar Sprint Championships.
Ter Mors' compatriot Jutta Leerdam (NED) is more likely to put up a challenge for Kodaira. The 21-year-old youngster won this year's ISU European and World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships title in the 1000m.
Jutta Leerdam (NED) at the ISU European Speed Skating Championships 2020©International Skating Union (ISU)
Last year's runner-up Miho Takagi (JPN) aims at a podium spot again, but she was not at her best at the ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships in Salt Lake City, coming third behind Leerdam and Olga Fatkulina (RUS) in the 1000m.
Angelina Golikova and Daria Kachanova will join Fatkulina in Hamar and the Russian troika has set their sights on the podium too.
US-skater Brittany Bowe, who won the title in 2015 and 2016, hopes to make amends for a disappointing display at the ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships on home soil two weeks ago.
Brittany Bowe (USA )at the ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships 2020©International Skating Union (ISU)
Allround Men: Roest, Kramer and the Norwegians
Patrick Roest (NED) targets his third consecutive World Allround title, after having won in Amsterdam in 2018 and Calgary in 2019, but the 24-year-old Dutchman has been struggling with his form lately.
After having been unbeatable in the 5000m and the 10000m in the first half of the season, Roest had to settle for a bronze 10,000m medal at the ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships in Salt Lake City two weeks ago. In the 5000m he set the fourth time but was disqualified for having forgotten to wear the white armband to indicate his inner lane start.
Patrick Roest (NED) at the ISU European Speed Skating Championships 2020©International Skating Union (ISU)
To make things even worse Roest was replaced by compatriot Marcel Bosker (NED) in the Dutch Team Pursuit squad, who skated a world record to take the title.
Although Roest's confidence took a blow in Salt Lake City, the Dutchman should by no means be counted out for the Allround Championships. He is still leading the so-called Adelskalendern, the all-time ranking in which skaters are classified by their personal bests in the four Allround distances.
Five of the top-ten skaters on the Adelskalendern are still active. Dutch Sven Kramer (3) already won the title on nine previous occasions. He could take advantage of his younger team-mate's struggles to win a record extending title.
Sven Kramer (NED) at the ISU European Speed Skating Championships 2020©International Skating Union (ISU)
Norwegian Håvard Bøkko (6) and moreover Sverre Lunde Pedersen (5) also challenge defending champion Roest, skating in front of an undoubtedly enthusiastic and supportive home crowd.
Håvard Bøkko (NOR) at the ISU World Cup Speed Skating (NOR) 2019©International Skating Union (ISU)
Bøkko won silver behind the then indomitable Kramer in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2013. Pedersen already took three silvers, and still seeks redemption for losing the title to Roest due to a crash in the final 10,000m in Amsterdam in 2018.
Dutch Koen Verweij (9) did not qualify for the Hamar Championships and Russian Denis Yuskov (8) chose to skip the tournament.
Allround Ladies: New challengers for Sáblíková and Wüst
Martina Sáblíková (CZE) at the ISU European Speed Skating Championships 2020©International Skating Union (ISU)
The Ladies' Allround tournament was a two-horse battle between six-time champion Ireen Wüst (NED) and five-time champion Martina Sáblíková (CZE), who took the title in Calgary last year.
The two veteran warriors are in contention again, but they're not the only ones. Japan's 2018 champion Miho Takagi (JPN) chose to participate in the Sprint Championships in Hamar, but ISU European Allround Speed Skating Champion Antoinette de Jong (NED) has found back her groove after a disappointing first half of the season and took the Dutch national Allround Speed Skating title in January.
Ivanie Blondin (CAN) at the ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships 2020©International Skating Union (ISU)
Ivanie Blondin (CAN) is another favorite. The 29-year-old Canadian used to be a Mass Start specialist but has won ISU World Cup Speed Skating races in the classic 1500m, 3000m and 5000m this season already.
Natalya Voronina could be an outsider for the title. The 25-year-old Russian, who surprised herself and the world with a fantastic 5000m world record at the ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships in Calgary, has to control the damage in the short distances before starting a catch-up race in the endurance events.
For full entry lists and further information regarding the ISU World Speed Skating Championships please visit the Championships Page on ISU.org. Click here for results.
Where to Watch
Viewers will be able to watch either via their national broadcaster / channel and for countries where there are no broadcasters, the ISU will offer a live stream on the Skating ISU YouTube Channel. You will find the full list in the Where to Watch news here.
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