- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,153,000
- Reaction score
- 59
The 2026 ISU World Sprints championship came down to the two biggest rivals in the sport, and this time, the title went to Jenning de Boo.
The 22-year-old Dutch skating phenomenon bested his biggest rival, 21-year-old Jordan Stolz of Kewaskum, in three of the four sprints in Heerenveen, Netherlands, on March 5-6.
De Boo won three of the four sprints for the championship; Stolz won one of the four, and took runner-up second place.
It was the Olympic encore for both skaters, and twice, it pitted Stolz and de Boo against each other, in the same pairing. Stolz triumphed in the fourth and final race, the 1,000-meters, taking first place in 1:07.26.
But in the other three races, de Boo was the winner, setting the world on fire particularly in both of his 500-meter super sprints. De Boo posted insanely fast times as the only skater under 34 seconds.
"Jenning is doing very well," said Stolz after the first day racing. "I'm not at my best. So it's been tough, but I'm doing as much as I can."
In one race, de Boo and Stolz were even, stride for stride, thrilling the Dutch fans who obviously cheer for de Boo and also appreciate with great fondness Stolz as one of their adopted own.
Stolz has been in the Netherlands for the last two weeks, ever since the conclusion of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, where he won two gold and one silver medal.
De Boo, on the other, hand spent a hectic week on parade, being celebrated by his country in several public gatherings, for his two Olympic silver medals.
Winding down from the Olympics made it difficult to gear up for the World Championships again, de Boo explained to the ISU media.
"I wasn't even nervous. I think I had made those Olympics so big in my own head, that everything else seemed unimportant afterwards, even a World Sprint Championships,” de Boo told the ISU.
More: Jordan Stolz reflects on Olympic gold before next great challenge | Lori Nickel
In his first 500-meters race, de Boo took back the track record, reclaiming it from Stolz, with a stunning 33.78 time, besting Stolz's track record by 0.12s.
"I'm really happy to take back that track record, especially because it's on my home rink," de Boo said.
With de Doo winning the overall sprint title, there are still big goals ahead for Stolz, as the ISU Speed Skating World Championships continue. This event is held every two years, and this year the host is the Netherlands, which treats this four-day speed-skating extravaganza with greater reverence than even the Olympics.
Stolz plans to compete in the World AllRound distance races March 7-8. The World AllRound Distance races will feature a 500-meter race and a 5,000-meter race on March 7 and a 1,500-meter race followed by a 10,000-meter race on March 8. Stolz hardly ever skates in the 5,000 or 10,000.
If he can reach the podium after those four races, he could become the first skater ever to medal in both the World Championship Sprints and World AllRound in the same weekend.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Jordan Stolz takes second in 2026 ISU World Sprints championship
Continue reading...
The 22-year-old Dutch skating phenomenon bested his biggest rival, 21-year-old Jordan Stolz of Kewaskum, in three of the four sprints in Heerenveen, Netherlands, on March 5-6.
De Boo won three of the four sprints for the championship; Stolz won one of the four, and took runner-up second place.
It was the Olympic encore for both skaters, and twice, it pitted Stolz and de Boo against each other, in the same pairing. Stolz triumphed in the fourth and final race, the 1,000-meters, taking first place in 1:07.26.
But in the other three races, de Boo was the winner, setting the world on fire particularly in both of his 500-meter super sprints. De Boo posted insanely fast times as the only skater under 34 seconds.
"Jenning is doing very well," said Stolz after the first day racing. "I'm not at my best. So it's been tough, but I'm doing as much as I can."
In one race, de Boo and Stolz were even, stride for stride, thrilling the Dutch fans who obviously cheer for de Boo and also appreciate with great fondness Stolz as one of their adopted own.
Stolz has been in the Netherlands for the last two weeks, ever since the conclusion of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, where he won two gold and one silver medal.
De Boo, on the other, hand spent a hectic week on parade, being celebrated by his country in several public gatherings, for his two Olympic silver medals.
Winding down from the Olympics made it difficult to gear up for the World Championships again, de Boo explained to the ISU media.
"I wasn't even nervous. I think I had made those Olympics so big in my own head, that everything else seemed unimportant afterwards, even a World Sprint Championships,” de Boo told the ISU.
More: Jordan Stolz reflects on Olympic gold before next great challenge | Lori Nickel
In his first 500-meters race, de Boo took back the track record, reclaiming it from Stolz, with a stunning 33.78 time, besting Stolz's track record by 0.12s.
"I'm really happy to take back that track record, especially because it's on my home rink," de Boo said.
With de Doo winning the overall sprint title, there are still big goals ahead for Stolz, as the ISU Speed Skating World Championships continue. This event is held every two years, and this year the host is the Netherlands, which treats this four-day speed-skating extravaganza with greater reverence than even the Olympics.
Stolz plans to compete in the World AllRound distance races March 7-8. The World AllRound Distance races will feature a 500-meter race and a 5,000-meter race on March 7 and a 1,500-meter race followed by a 10,000-meter race on March 8. Stolz hardly ever skates in the 5,000 or 10,000.
If he can reach the podium after those four races, he could become the first skater ever to medal in both the World Championship Sprints and World AllRound in the same weekend.
You must be registered for see images
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Jordan Stolz takes second in 2026 ISU World Sprints championship
Continue reading...
