The World Sprint Speed Skating Championships will begin at 19:00 with the first women’s 500-meter race, featuring top skaters from the Netherlands and around the world competing at Thialf.
Schaatsen.nl, a Dutch skating news outlet, reports the detailed schedule and matchups for the event.
The opening race for the Netherlands will see Suzanne Schulting face Poland’s Martyna Baran in the ninth heat of the women’s 500 meters. Schulting arrives at Thialf with confidence following her recent decisive victory at the Dutch Sprint Championships. Later, in heat 12, top favorite Femke Kok will compete against Canadian Béatrice Lamarche, while Marrit Fledderus, who finished second at the Dutch Sprint Championships, will race against American Erin Jackson in the final heat.
On the men’s side, Dutch skater Janno Botman will go up against Japan’s Tatsuya Nonomura in the fifth heat; Botman recently surprised observers by winning the Dutch sprint title. Joep Wennemars, another top Dutch skater, will compete in heat six against Poland’s Piotr Michalski. Olympic champion Jordan Stolz from the USA, who holds titles in both the 500 and 1000 meters and is the reigning allround world champion, will skate in the ninth heat against Norway’s Bjørn Magnussen. Later, the thirteenth heat will feature a duel between Jenning de Boo and Damian Żurek, who are among Stolz’s main rivals in sprint events.
The schedule continues with the women’s 1000-meter races starting at 20:23. All Dutch competitors will skate in the last three heats, bringing together all the top contenders. Femke Kok will face Béatrice Lamarche in heat 12, Erin Jackson will skate against Marrit Fledderus in heat 13, and Suzanne Schulting will conclude the women’s events against Rio Yamada from Japan in heat 14.
The men’s 1000-meter races will conclude the day’s program. In heat 12, a Dutch matchup will take place between Jenning de Boo and Joep Wennemars. This will be followed by an American duel between Jordan Stolz and Cooper McLeod. The final heat will feature Olympic 1500-meter champion Zhongyan Ning competing against Damian Żurek.
More information about the World Sprint and Allround Championships, including the full draw and results, is available via the official sources.
