The ISU Junior World Cup speed skating event has commenced at the newly constructed Olympic Oval in Milan, featuring several record-setting performances across junior and neo-senior categories.
According to a report from the International Skating Union (ISU), the competition marked the first use of the temporary speed skating oval built for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, with multiple athletes achieving track records and podium finishes.
Kazakhstan’s Kristina Shumekova claimed three gold medals in the women’s junior division, winning the 1000m, 1500m, and 3000m events. However, the track records in these distances were set by neo-senior skaters Meike Veen of the Netherlands and Ashley Völker of Germany, with Veen winning the 1000m and 1500m and Völker the 3000m. Similarly, in the women’s 500m races, junior Shizuko Okuaki of Japan set an initial track record, but neo-senior Serena Pergher of Italy surpassed this with a faster time.
In the men’s junior category, Japanese skater Taiga Sasaki won three gold medals in the 1500m, 3000m, and Team Pursuit events, in addition to a silver medal in the Mass Start. Asian athletes dominated the shorter distances, with Korea sweeping the podium in the men’s junior 500m and athletes from Japan and China also securing multiple medals. Neo-senior races saw record-breaking performances as well, including a new men’s 1500m track record set by Sijmen Egberts of the Netherlands and a strong showing from Italian skaters Riccardo Lorello, Manuel Ghiotto, and Manuel De Carli, who together won the neo-senior Team Pursuit.
The event highlighted the growing talent among junior and neo-senior speed skaters as they prepared for forthcoming international competitions, with the Milan oval providing a new stage for high-level racing ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics.