ISU

The first ISU World Development Trophy 2015 was scheduled to take place in Zakopane, however because of a technical failure of the ice skating rink the event was transferred to Warsaw. More than 25 youth skaters from six countries (CZE, EST, HUN, LAT, POL and SVK) took part in the second ISU World Development Trophy in Speed Skating in Warsaw, Poland.

Brittany Bowe (USA) and Pavel Kulizhnikov (RUS) were crowned ISU World Sprint Speed Skating Champions in Astana on Sunday. The two skaters won with impressive margins and the fastest sprint combination ever skated on a lowland rink.

Brittany Bowe (USA) and Pavel Kulizhnikov (RUS) took the lead in the ISU World Sprint Speed Skating Champions in Astana, where 27 ladies and 32 men contest the title. Bowe was one of the two favourites together with her compatriot Heather Richardson. The two Americans finished first and second in both the 500m and the 1000m, to put daylight between themselves and the fiercely contested third place. Defending champion Michel Mulder (NED) is only fifth after day 1, while Hein Otterspeer (NED) and Nico Ihle (GER) chase Kulizhnikov in a close battle for the title.

The ISU World Sprint Speed Skating Championships 2015 will take place this weekend, February 28- March 1 in Astana (KAZ) in the Alau Ice Palace which was opened in December 2010

Patrick Roest (NED) took his second consecutive allround title at the ISU Junior World Allround Speed Skating Championships in Warsaw on February 20-22. Min-Seok Kim (KOR) took silver and Marcel Bosker (NED) bronze. In the ladies’ tournament Melissa Wijfje traded last year’s silver allround medal for a gold, before team mate Sanneke de Neeling and Yelizaveta Kazelina (RUS).

The ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating Series 2014/15 consisted of five events, the first three were only regional and took place in Calgary (CAN) in November 2014, Minsk (BLR) in December and Changchun (CHN) in January. Then the Series moved to Collalbo (ITA) and came to an end in Warsaw (POL) last weekend with the ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating Final.

Pavel Kulizhnikov (RUS) won the 500m with a lowland world record combination on the final day of the World Single Distances Championships in Heerenveen and became the first European World Champion in this distance. Brittany Bowe (USA) became the first US world champion in the 1500m. The first mass start gold was seized by Dutch skaters Arjan Stroetinga (NED) and Irene Schouten (NED). Four skaters improved their personal best times.

Sven Kramer (NED) won the 5000m with a lowland world record. Heather Richardson (USA) became the first US champion in the 500m and Shani Davis took his fourth world title in the 1000m on a moment he least expected it. The Japanese ladies surprisingly beat the Dutch ladies in the Team Pursuit.

Brittany Bowe (USA) and Denis Yuskov (RUS) impressed with lowland world records on the second day of the World Single Distance Championships in Heerenveen’s Thialf stadium. Martina Sábliková added another title to her string of victories in the 5000m and the Dutch men won the team pursuit for the seventh out of eight times. Track records fell in the 1000m for ladies and the 1500m for men. Austrian youngster Vanessa Bittner improved the track record for juniors and five skaters set personal best times.

Martina Sábliková (CZE) and Jorrit Bergsma (NED) took home gold on the first day of the World Single Distance Championships in Heerenveen’s Thialf stadium. Erik-Jan Kooiman was the only skater to set a personal best time, when he took silver in the 10.000m on Thursday. It’s the last tournament in the current accommodation, that hosted international competitions since 1987.

The ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships 2015 will take place in Heerenveen (NED) from February 12 to 15, 2015

Pavel Kulizhnikov (RUS) became the youngest skater with ten career World Cup victories to his name, when he won the 500m on the second day of the Sprint World Cup in Heerenveen. The Russian rocket (20 years and 294 days old) replaced Dan Jansen on top of this list. The American sprinter was 21 years and 172 days old when he took his 10th World Cup gold. Judith Hesse (GER) won the Ladies’ 500m. Brittany Bowe (USA) and Kjeld Nuis (NED) took gold in the 1000m.

Heather Richardson (USA) showed great form one week ahead of the World Single Distance Championships in the Thialf speed skating Arena in Heerenveen. On the first day of the Sprint World Cup she won both the 500m and the 1000m in Heerenveen as well. This season’s sprint revelation Pavel Kulizhnikov (RUS) won the 500m, but he had to settle for silver in the 1000m behind Kjeld Nuis (NED), who beat him in the final pair of the longest sprint distance. Junior Vanessa Bittner (AUT) skated a national record of 38.26. Two ladies and three men improved their personal best times.

Seung-Hoon Lee (KOR) secured the mass-start World Cup, when he grabbed his third World Cup gold in this event on the final day of the World Cup in Hamar on Sunday. Irene Schouten (NED) took the ladies’ mass start victory, while Martina Sáblikova (CZE) won the 3000m and Denis Yuskov (RUS) the 1500m. The races did not alter the top of the Grand World Cup ranking with Pavel Kulizhnikov (RUS) and Ireen Wüst (NED) still in the lead...

Heather Richardson (USA) and Jorrit Bergsma (NED) took gold on the first day of World Cup competition in 2015. The ladies competed in the 1500m, the men in the 5000m at the Vikingship rink in Hamar, Norway. On Sunday the men will race the 1500m and the ladies the 3000m.