American sensation Jordan Stolz created a new men's 500m track record of 34.27 seconds at the National Speed Skating Oval, as the three-day ISU Speed Skating World Cup in Beijing opened on Friday, reported Xinhua.
Stolz broke the previous record of 34.32 set by Beijing Winter Olympic champion Gao Tingyu of China, while Jenning de Boo of the Netherlands and Japan's Tatsuya Shinhama took silver and bronze medals, respectively.
"Physically I was able to break it, and it just depends on the ice conditions. It was a great race," said the 20-year-old Stolz, who bagged four golds at the World Cup in Nagano, Japan last week. "If I can race as well as last weekend, it will be great, but some people got faster here [in Beijing]. It will be tougher in the 500m especially."
Gao, who finished 13th in the men's 500m, said he was still trying to adjust himself to the best situation.
"He [Stolz] is a young talent, and skaters around the world made great progress in recent years, which is definitely good for the development of the sport," Gao, 26, said after the competition.
Stolz also edged China's Ning Zhongyan to claim the men's 1,500m title in one minute and 43.94 seconds, while the bronze went to Kjeld Nuis of the Netherlands.
In the women's race, Yukino Yoshida of Japan seized the 500m gold in a personal best of 37.68. Runner-up Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands clocked 37.89s, just 0.01 second ahead of compatriot Dione Voskamp in third place.
Another Japanese skater, Miho Takagi, triumphed in the women's 1,500m in 1:55.07, followed by the Netherlands' Joy Beune and Angel Daleman in the second and third. China's Han Mei ranked sixth.
"I am still looking for good skating in 1,500m this season. High-level competitions give me more motivation," Takagi said.
The men's 1,000m, men's 5,000m, women's 1,000m, and women's 3,000m events will take place on Saturday.
- Jordan Stolz
- ISU
- Skating WC
- Beijing
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
