USA's Jackson and Bowe steal show ahead of Norway speed skate stop
The second stop of the ISU long track speed skating world cup this week features high-flying Team USA duo Erin Jackson and Brittany Bowe as they aim to keep forward momentum against Dutch, Japanese and Chinese challengers heading toward the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games in February.
Speed Skating
The second event of the ISU speed skating (long track) world cup in Stavanger, Norway comes quick on the heels of the opening stop in Poland last weekend, where Team USA duo Erin Jackson and Brittany Bowe both cemented their favourites' status in the 500m and 1000m respectively. Also, a number of Dutch, Japanese and People’s Republic of China skaters pushed up toward the realms of the fancied with 80 days to go before the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 skating competition at the National Speed Skating Oval.
The world cup tour, which doubles as the qualifying event for the much anticipated Beijing 2022 speed skating events from 5 to 19 February, sees action at the Sormarka Arena on the second stop of the season. Read on for a glimpse of what to look out for on the Norwegian ice between 19 and 21 November.
USA’s Jackson sets history, expectations
The big development from the last event in Poland, at the Arena Lodowa in Tomaszów Mazowiecki from 12 to 14 November, was the emergence of Erin Jackson from the ranks of talented contender, who finished 24th in the field at her Olympic debut in PyeongChang in 2018, to one of the out-and-out podium favourites in the 500m distance heading into the home stretch before the 2022 Games.
The former inline skater, with roots in Ocala, Florida like her teammate and 1000m world record holder Brittany Bowe, scooped a pair of gold medals in the first stop of the tour. The results, in the two 500m sprints, saw Jackson make history in the sport as she became the first black woman to win a world cup race.
“[It] was a big surprise,” Jackson, whose previous best finish in a world cup was ninth, told media after the first of her two wins on Friday. “I was hoping to be in a podium position. It’s still really early, so it’s anyone’s game, but I’m definitely feeling more confidence now.”
1000m queen Bowe expands horizons
Bowe, a former college basketball star who was on track for a career in the WNBA before hitting the ice, did herself no harm heading into the Stavanger event. Her gold in the 1000m, a race in which she holds the world title and record, was no surprise to anyone. But her silver in the 1500m, known as the 'king/queens race' and with a tendency to leave participating athletes in a state of profound exhaustion, speaks to Bowe’s ambitions outside her comfort zone.
READ | Bowe's Bumpy Road to Beijing Favourite
“It’s the hardest race in the sport,” Bowe told Olympics.com of the 1500m distance, where she’s asserting herself after setting a marker as the fastest woman in the world in the 1000m. “The speed and the endurance and the lactate you have to push through is unmatched to anything I’ve ever done in my life.”
Dutch masters still finding form
The Netherlands, ancestral home of the sport of speed skating and medal-count dominators for the last two Winter Olympic cycles in Sochi and PyeongChang, had some stumbles early on in the last event. They'll be looking to the second stop in Stavanger to solidify their Beijing bona fides and put the fear back into the chasing pack.
Three medals for Team Netherlands in the first two days of the season-opening event in Poland was, by the standards they set year in and year out, a disappointment. However, Day Three – the final day of action – saw a return to form and perhaps a hint of things to come.
The Orange-clad team came away with a 1-2-3 shutout in the men’s 1000m via Hein Otterspeer, Thomas Krol and Kjeld Nuis, respectively. Two more Dutch medals were earned via Irene Schouten, who won the women’s mass start race after picking up the 3000m gold earlier in the competition, and in the men’s team pursuit.
Japan spring forward despite setback
The Japanese outlook heading toward the long track competition at the Beijing Games appears quite rosy after an outstanding opening tour stop in Poland where they were hampered by the loss of several athletes due to positive COVID-19 tests.
Despite the setback, the East Asian powerhouse stormed through to pick up 10 medals – best among the competing nations. The Japanese will now have hopes of continued success in Norway (and beyond) soaring sky high.
The Japanese team won five medals in the 500m sprint event courtesy of Kodaira Nao’s silver and bronze in the two women’s events, with Tatsuya Shinhama taking gold and silver in the two men’s events. Morishige Wataru also took bronze in the second Division A 500m event.
In the women’s 1000m, Kodaira again made an appearance on the podium with a third-place finish. Ahead of her was was compatriot Takagi Miho, who also came away with gold in the women’s 1500m. Obayashi Masahito claimed the men’s mass start title.
Olympic hosts ambitions high
The People’s Republic of China, heading toward their first-ever Olympic Winter Games on home ice, arrive at the Stavanger stop after setting expectations in the maiden event in Poland with two medals. In the men’s 1500m, Ning Zhongyan finished second to Republic of Korea’s Kim Min Seok, who took his career-first World Cup win in the distance.
“We’ve got the Olympics in my home country,” said Ning after the race. “From now on there is only 80 days left. So we will do all we can to perform well in Beijing.”
The second Chinese medalist was gold medal winner, Gao Tingyu.
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Remaining Beijing 2022 Qualifiers
Stavanger, Norway - 19-21 November 2021
Salt Lake City, USA - 3-5 December 2021
Calgary, Canada - 10-12 Dec 2021