Damian Zurek secured his first individual World Cup win in the 500-meter speed skating event in Inzell, Germany, setting a new track record in the process.
Schaatsen.nl, Netherlands
Zurek, who recently celebrated two European titles in his home country of Poland, delivered a standout performance in Inzell by completing the 500 meters in 34.09 seconds. This time was one hundredth of a second faster than the previous track record and 0.17 seconds quicker than runner-up Stolz. The victory marked an important milestone as it was Zurek’s first individual World Cup win.
Reflecting on the race, Zurek commented on his competition with Jordan Stolz, stating that he had confidence he could beat Stolz if he maintained the same strong start he showed in training. He described his previous experience at the World Cup in Hamar, where pressure affected his final strides, noting that having gone through that challenge has helped him manage competitive stress better.
In contrast, Jenning de Boo finished seventh with a time of 34.51 seconds. He acknowledged after the race that his performance was below expectations but remained focused on upcoming goals, especially the Milan event. He emphasized that he was not currently under stress and wants to improve for future competitions.
Another notable performance came from Marten Liiv, who earned his first World Cup medal in the 500-meter race by finishing in third place. Representing the Dutch team IKO-X2O, Liiv had already won a medal at the kilometer distance in 2022, and this recent result adds to his achievements in shorter track events.
