Among the men, Dutch skating is strong across the board, but is it good enough to beat Jordan Stolz?

His name was buzzing throughout the weekend in atmospheric Thialf. More than 6,500 kilometers from Heerenveen, where the Dutch skating top competed for qualification for the first series of World Cup competitions, Jordan Stolz shone in Milwaukee. On Saturday morning everyone could see the top times that the 19-year-old American had set on his home track of The Pettit for the 500 and 1,500 meters: 34.66 and 1.42.31 – the latter was a world record on lowland tracks. On Sunday morning, a personal record of 6.20.76 for the five kilometers was also achieved from the US. Do the Dutch skaters still have a chance this season against Stolz, last season’s world champion in the 500, 1,000 and 1,500 meters, and now apparently also keen on all-round success?

Patrick Roest, three-time world all-round champion, was traditionally the star in the first important competition of the season in Thialf. After his victory on Friday in the five kilometers (6.11.40), he also won the 1,500 meters (1.44.04) a day later and the ten kilometers (12.49.89) on Sunday. At the longest distance, Roest was almost ten seconds faster than number two Jorrit Bergsma, who recovered from a weak five kilometers in which he did not qualify for the first World Cup races.

“You always have to gain a little self-confidence at about 10 kilometers and I’m happy that the first one went like this,” Roest (27) looked back on Sunday on his third distance victory of the weekend. “There is nothing to win at this tournament, but you still have to do it for a while. I am happy that I am in the top five at all three distances and that I am also the fastest and that the legs were as I thought beforehand.”

Compared to Stolz in Milwaukee, a track where people generally do not drive faster than in Thialf, Roest still seems stronger on the long distances. But can he keep the losses small enough on the short distances to win a classification over four distances? The leader of Team Reggeborgh rode a 1,500 meter race in Thialf with little gradient (laps 26.2 – 26.7 – 26.9 seconds). Earlier than in other years, he tested himself in the 500 meters in a training race in mid-October. But the 36.45 that Roest drove there will strengthen Stolz in his ambitions as an all-rounder. The World Allround Championships will conclude this skating season in March in Inzell.

Sensational win

Or will the Dutch competition for Stolz come in the middle distances this season? The victory of the only 20-year-old Tim Prins on Sunday in the 1,000 meters was sensational. In 1.07.96, Roest’s new teammate improved his personal top time by more than a second. He surprisingly stayed ahead of Tijmen Snel (1.08.09) and Kjeld Nuis (1.08.11). Jenning de Boo and Jarno Botman also qualified for the first World Cup competitions, where favorites such as Hein Otterspeer (sixth), Merijn Scheperkamp (tenth) and Olympic champion Thomas Krol (eleventh) missed out on qualifying at this distance.

In the Netherlands, the performance density in the middle distances is so great that Joep Wennemars (21) was unable to place himself in the 1,000 and 1,500 meters despite fast times of 1.08.44 (eighth) and 1.45.17 (sixth). There is plenty of quality across the board, but good enough for international profit? The 34.70 with which 21-year-old Sebas Diniz placed second in the 500 meters on Friday evening, behind Merijn Scheperkamp (34.60), was encouraging. Debutants Diniz and Prins can compete with Stolz at the first World Cup competitions (from November 10 to 12 in Obihiro, Japan).

Irene Schouten won the 3 and 5 kilometers for women.

Schouten old-fashioned

For the women, the qualifying tournament in Thialf was mainly dominated by the well-known names. After a tough post-Olympic season, three-time Olympic champion Irene Schouten danced the old-fashioned way to victory and top times at three and five kilometers (3.55.89 and 6.42.24). In the three kilometers Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong surprisingly failed to qualify, in 4.02.41 she remained 0.09 behind number five Sanne in ‘t Hof.

Femke Kok was the fastest in both 500 meters in 37.24 and 37.34. Jutta Leerdam met high expectations on Sunday by winning the 1,000 meters. In 1.13.64 she was ahead of Kok (1.14.70) and Rijpma-de Jong (1.14.87). “Pretty good to start with,” said the world champion. “And especially if I don’t have a super good ride, but still get to this time. It doesn’t always have to be perfect.”