The Polish team retained the European team sprint title by narrowly defeating their competitors, while Vladimir Semirunniy distinguished himself with a new record in the 5,000 meters event at the European Speed Skating Championships.
NOS, Netherlands.
The Polish team sprint trio, composed of Piotr Michalski, Marek Kania, and Szymon Wojtakowski, clinched the championship on home ice in Tomaszów with a time of 1:20.22. The race was closely contested, with the Dutch team, represented by Stefan Westenbroek, Kayo Vos, and Merijn Scheperkamp, finishing just two hundredths of a second behind. Although Kayo Vos managed a notably fast second lap, the team fell just short in the final round. Despite narrowly missing the gold, the Dutch skaters expressed pride in their effort given the limited preparation, as they had trained together as a team for the first time on the morning of the race.
On the 5,000 meters, 23-year-old Vladimir Semirunniy delivered a remarkable performance by breaking the Norwegian track record previously held by Sander Eitrem. His time of 6:11.13 shaved nearly four seconds off the old record, solidifying his dominant position. Semirunniy overtook Norwegian Sigurd Holbø Dyrset during the race, highlighting his strong form. Italy’s Riccardo Lorello also impressed by setting a time that surpassed the former track record, but he remained over three seconds behind Semirunniy, finishing with silver. Davide Ghiotto took bronze with a time of 6:17.00. The top Dutch finisher on this distance was Kars Jansman, placing fourth with 6:21.39, while other Dutch skaters were further back in the standings.
The European Championships saw the absence of some key Dutch skaters in the team sprint event, including Damian Zurek and Tim Prins. Prins opted out of the team sprint due to energy concerns after a challenging period related to Olympic qualification. Despite this, the Dutch continue to build on prior successes; they had won gold in the team sprint in 2022 and bronze in the most recent edition with different line-ups. This year’s team maintained a competitive edge but ultimately fell short against the Polish champions.
