Jordan Stolz holds the lead midway through the World Allround Speed Skating Championships in Heerenveen, with the final day expected to bring intense competition.
NOS, a Dutch news outlet, reports on the ongoing championship.
Title defender Jordan Stolz currently tops the standings at the World Allround Speed Skating Championships held in Heerenveen. He maintains a lead approaching three seconds ahead of Sander Eitrem going into the final event, the 1,500 meters. Eitrem secured his position by setting an impressive track record in the 5,000 meters with a time of 6:01.61, keeping his hopes alive for the world title.
For Stolz, the 5,000-meter race marked his sixth event in three days, as he also participated in the World Sprint Speed Skating Championships earlier on Thursday and Friday. Despite the exhaustion, Stolz demonstrated strong performance by winning the 500 meters decisively and completing the 5,000 meters in a respectable 6:19.66, although he had hoped for a faster time. Although endurance skaters like Eitrem, Vladimir Semirunniy (6:08.15), and Metodej Jilek (6:09.77) beat Stolz’s time on the 5,000 meters, it was not enough to overtake him in the overall classification.
Stijn van de Bunt made his World Championship debut with a personal best of 6:07.54 in the 5,000 meters, the second-best time in that race. After finishing 21st in the 500 meters, he significantly improved his position and currently stands sixth overall. His trailing time behind Stolz exceeds seven seconds, though a strong performance in the 10,000 meters could improve his ranking. Dutch skaters Marcel Bosker and Chris Huizinga are further back in eighth and ninth place respectively, with their chances for a podium finish diminishing.
The men’s allround competition this weekend highlights a compelling duel between sprint specialists and endurance skaters. Stolz, who generally does not compete in distances longer than 1,500 meters, has built a substantial lead through his dominance in shorter distances. This margin mirrors the advantage he maintained to win at the World Championships two years ago in Inzell. In Heerenveen, Stolz began the 5,000 meters with a strong 500 meter time of 34.22 seconds and approximately a 20-second lead over the rest of the field. Although the longer distances are not his specialty, Stolz managed to limit his time loss, stating that a day of rest might have resulted in a faster race.
Vladimir Semirunniy, who won silver in the Olympic 10,000 meters, struggled to match the pace of Van de Bunt but finished third in the 5,000 meters, just ahead of Olympic 10,000-meter champion Metodej Jílek. Only Sander Eitrem was quicker than Van de Bunt in that event. Eitrem, a Norwegian world record holder and Olympic champion in the 5,000 meters, delivered a rapid start and recorded the fourth-fastest 5,000-meter time ever. He broke the track record previously held by Patrick Roest, whose time was 6:04.36.
