No German speed skater has ever been faster: At the World Cup in Salt Lake City, 18-year-old Finn Sonnekalb raced to two records and amazed everyone.
The Erfurt speed skater Finn Sonnekalb has one day after his strong fifth place over 1,000 meters went one better and finished third in a World Cup for the first time on the podium. He also set a German record.
Sonnekalb sets records tumbling
At the World Cup in Salt Lake City, the 18-year-old Thuringian pulverized the previous record set by Hendrik Dombek (Munich/1:43.73 minutes) over 1,500 meters in 1:41.33 minutes on Sunday night (November 16th). He also increased his personal best time on this route by over three seconds, he beat the junior world record by one second and is only one second away from the world record of the American Jordan Stolz, who won this World Cup ahead of the Chinese Ning. Incidentally, it was the first German World Cup podium finish on this route in 24 years.
“I gave it my all, but I never thought I would win a medal,” said Sonnekalb, who is a stroke of luck for German speed skating, which has been struggling for years. “Every time I’m on the track, I want to win. I’m a competitive type,” beamed the youngster. He loves the feeling of winning and speaks of an “urge to simply be better than someone else. That’s what drives me. I don’t want to say that someone is faster,” said the shooting star: “I don’t like that.”
Two starts, two top performances
Sonnekalb had already set a national record on the first day of the World Cup. Over 1,000 meters, the three-time junior world champion and winner of the Youth Olympic Games improved Joel Dufter’s German record from 2019 by 0.32 seconds to 1:06.48 minutes. As fifth in the 1,000 meters and second in the 1,500 meters, the Erfurt native twice met the national standard for the Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo next February at the first World Cup of the season.
In this form, the youngster is also one of the medal candidates for the games. He is one of the biggest hopes in German speed skating. The three-time junior world champion won at the Youth Olympic Games and was most recently German champion over 1000 and 1500 m. The middle distance is considered his parade route, as he demonstrated at the start of the World Cup.
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MDR AKTUELL – The news radio | Sports block | November 16, 2025 | 9:40 a.m
