The international speed skating season continues at the Thialf ice rink in Heerenveen, Netherlands, where athletes compete in key events ahead of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
ISU News, published in the Netherlands, details the competition and its significance for Olympic qualification.
Following events in Salt Lake City and Calgary, elite speed skaters have gathered at sea-level Thialf, noted for a slightly slower ice surface but renowned for its enthusiastic Dutch supporters dressed in orange. This World Cup stop is notable because it is the only pre-Olympic opportunity featuring the women’s 5000m and men’s 10,000m distances, both important for Olympic qualification.
The men’s long-distance races are highly competitive this year. Timothy Loubineaud of France set a new world record in the 5000m at the season’s first World Cup, while Casey Dawson from the United States achieved his first individual World Cup podium in Calgary, breaking a track record. These performances place Loubineaud and Dawson at the top of the long-distance rankings, with Sander Eitrem of Norway and other skaters closely following. Davide Ghiotto of Italy, the reigning World 10,000m champion and world record holder, has not yet reached a podium this season but is expected to contend strongly at Heerenveen. His younger brother Manuel will also compete in the neo-senior category.
In the women’s long-distance events, Dutch skater Joy Beune leads the rankings, followed by Valérie Maltais from Canada, Norway’s Ragne Wiklund, and Canadian Isabelle Weidemann. Francesca Lollobrigida of Italy, the reigning world 5000m champion, aims to secure a place at the Olympics on home ice. Dutch athlete Merel Conijn, a previous medalist, chose to skip earlier events but will compete in the 5000m at Thialf. The program at Heerenveen also includes races across multiple distances and formats for both genders, though the 500m event is held only once per competition, unlike the North American stops.
American Jordan Stolz has been dominant in men’s short and middle distances, leading the 500m, 1000m, and 1500m World Cup rankings. However, he has faced occasional challenges from competitors such as Jenning de Boo (Netherlands) and Kim Jun-Ho (South Korea), who each secured wins in the 500m. German junior Finn Sonnekalb recently broke Stolz’s junior world record in the 1500m but Stolz responded with a win in Calgary.
In women’s short distances, Dutch skater Femke Kok has achieved an unbeaten streak in the 500m events this season, including breaking a longstanding world record. The American Olympic champion Erin Jackson is one of Kok’s primary rivals. Other notable competitors include Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands, who experienced a training accident but remains expected to compete, and Joy Beune, who has dominated the women’s 1500m with close competition from Japan’s Miho Takagi.
The World Cup events at Thialf also contribute to Olympic qualification through the Special Olympic Qualification Classifications system. This ranking combines points and times from select World Cup races to allocate quota spots to National Olympic Committees. Each country can qualify up to nine skaters per gender, with additional limits per distance. These competitions are a crucial step for athletes aiming to compete at the Milan Cortina Olympic Games.