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E-mail Xinhua, November 17, 2024
American sensation Jordan Stolz continued his winning streak at the ISU Four Continents Speed Skating Championships, taking gold in the men's 500m on Saturday in Hachinohe, Japan.
Reigning world champion Stolz clocked 34.47 seconds to secure victory, edging former world champion Laurent Dubreuil of Canada by 0.21 seconds. Home favorite Tatsuya Shinhama of Japan finished third in 34.82 seconds.
This was the second gold for the 20-year-old at the season-opening tournament, following his track-record-breaking win in the men's 1,500m on Friday.
The women's 500m title also went to an American skater, Olympic champion Erin Jackson, who crossed the line in 38.16 seconds, just 0.1 seconds ahead of Japan's Kurumi Inagawa. Kim Min-sun of South Korea, fresh off a team sprint silver on Friday, added a bronze to her collection with a time of 38.30 seconds.
"It definitely feels good to be on the top spot, but I also know that there's a lot I need to fix from that race. So I keep it all in context," the 22-year-old Jackson told the ISU official website.
In the long-distance races, Canada's Graeme Fish got his 2024-2025 season off to a strong start by setting a new track record of 6:18.06 in the men's 5,000m at YS Arena Hachinohe. Riku Tsuchiya (6:23.40) and Seitaro Ichinohe (6:24.11) completed the podium in front of home fans.
Japan's Momoka Horikawa denied a Canadian podium sweep in the women's 3,000m, finishing in 4:06.91 in the final pair to claim her first international trophy at the senior level. Isabelle Weidemann (4:08.03) and Ivanie Blondin (4:08.09) took second and third, with only 0.06 seconds separating them. Defending champion Valerie Maltais had to settle for fourth place, while China's Yang Binyu finished fifth.
"I had a really good condition, so I decided to skate my own race and not bother about anyone else," Horikawa said.
The ISU Four Continents Speed Skating Championships will conclude on Sunday with six gold medals up for grabs in the men's and women's team pursuit, 1,000m, and mass start events.
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