At the 500 meter speed skating event, the athlete reclaimed his personal best by skating twice under 34 seconds and defeating Stolz in a direct competition for the first time.
The skater completed the first kilometer in 1:06.52, marking his fastest time at the Thialf ice rink. Additionally, his overall score was worth a world record in points. Reflecting on his performance, he expressed pride in his consistency throughout the weekend, stating that he had not anticipated these achievements earlier in the week when he arrived at Tjaarda, the hotel where his team usually stays near Heerenveen.
Because he lacked the usual competition focus and tension, he arrived at the hotel a day earlier than planned. The nervousness only set in when he saw the draw for the first day. Despite the absence of nerves initially, and the celebrations and attention following his Olympic medals, he delivered an outstanding performance throughout the week, reaching speeds up to 63 kilometers per hour during training sessions.
The skater noted that the week had been full of records for him. He admitted his preparation had been far from ideal, and he did not understand why he was able to perform so well under these circumstances. He added that if he knew the reason, he would try to apply it every week.
Source: Schaatsen.nl (Netherlands)
