At the World Sprint Championships in Thialf, Dutch women currently hold the entire podium after the first day of competition, with Femke Kok establishing herself as the top contender.
NOS, a Dutch public broadcaster, reported on the performances at the event.
Femke Kok, 25, from Friesland, started the evening strongly by setting a new track record in the 500 meters with a time of 36.67 seconds. She further extended her lead on the 1,000 meters, finishing in 1:13.10, more than a second faster than her compatriot Suzanne Schulting, who stands second overall after two distances. Marrit Fledderus currently holds third place but faces competition from Poland’s Kaja Ziomek-Nogal ahead of the final day.
There had been some uncertainty about Kok’s form heading into the championships, especially after her recent Olympic success, where she won gold in the 500 meters and silver in the 1,000 meters in Milan. Kok described her Olympic performance as her main goal this season and viewed the World Sprint Championships as an additional challenge. Nevertheless, she was determined to perform well and opened the 500 meters with a time that was close to her winning Olympic race start, ultimately achieving the fastest 500-meter time ever recorded at Thialf. This strong start puts Kok on track for her first world sprint title, having finished second in both 2022 and 2024.
Kok expressed satisfaction with her performance, calling it a “very nice start” to the tournament and acknowledging the motivation she gained from being introduced as the Olympic champion. Meanwhile, the absence of fellow Dutch skater Jutta Leerdam, who ended her season after the Olympics, left Kok’s main competition within the Netherlands. Suzanne Schulting, 28, showed good form as well, smiling at the start following strong races at the Dutch Sprint Championships the previous week. Schulting recorded a time of 37.30 seconds in the 500 meters, just shy of her personal best of 37.24.
On the 1,000-meter race, Schulting was over a second behind Kok but remained optimistic about her position, stating that she wasn’t focused on overall placement but rather on delivering strong individual runs. Marrit Fledderus also performed well, securing the fourth-fastest times in both the 500 meters (37.50) and 1,000 meters, currently holding third place overall with a narrow lead over Kaja Ziomek-Nogal from Poland.
The second 500-meter and 1,000-meter races are scheduled for Friday as the competition approaches its conclusion.
