Miho Takagi trumps Femke Kok and defending champion Jutta Leerdam on the first day of the World Sprint Championships, Jenning de Boo third among men | Sport

Kjeld Nuis, four-time medalist at the sprint world championships (twice silver and twice bronze), is also competing for the prizes and is fourth. Debutant Joep Wennemars fell in the 1000 meters and can forget a good ranking.

The victory in the 1000 meters went to the Chinese Zhongyan Ning: 107.67. He stayed ahead of Belgian Mathias Vosté (1.07.85) and Nuis (1.07.90), the 2018 Olympic champion. De Boo defeated Laurent Dubreuil in a direct duel (1.08.28 at 1.08.31), but still has to leave the Canadian and Ning ahead in the rankings after day one.

Dubreuil, winner of the 500 meters, leads the rankings. He defends a margin of three hundredths over Ning in the second 500 meters on Friday. De Boo has to make up 0.16 seconds on Dubreuil, Nuis 0.28 seconds. In addition to a 500 meters, there will also be a 1000 meters on Friday.

The Netherlands has produced the men’s sprint world champion eight times in the past: Jan Bos in 1998, Erben Wennemars in 2004 and 2005, Stefan Groothuis in 2012, Michel Mulder in 2013 and 2014, Kai Verbij in 2017 and Thomas Krol at the previous edition. in 2022. Krol, Olympic champion in the 1000 meters, announced at the end of February that he would stop skating and to focus on a career as a pilot.

In the kilometer, Kok, after winning the 500 meters in a track record, competed against Takagi. The Japanese joined the Dutch in the opening round and then distanced herself. Takagi recorded a track record of 1.13.32. Kok was just over a second slower: 1.14.35. Leerdam came second with a time of 1.13.71 and is third in the rankings behind Takagi and Kok. Isabel Grevelt finished fifth: 1.15.02.

The decision will be made on Friday with another 500 and 1000 meters. Kok has to make up 0.45 seconds on Takagi in the 500 meters. Leerdam is again two hundredths behind compatriot Kok. Grevelt is number seven, 1.75 seconds behind Takagi.

A Dutch woman became world sprint champion three times. In 2004, Marianne Timmer had the scoop. This was followed by Jorien ter Mors (2018) and Leerdam (2022).

Kok finished second behind compatriot Leerdam at the previous World Sprint Championships, two years ago in Hamar, Norway. In Inzell she showed in the opening distance that she is going for the world title this year. Kok raced to first place in a track record of 37.07 seconds. She left the Japanese Takagi six hundredths behind her. Kim Min-sun of South Korea came third in 37.36 seconds.

Leerdam had to settle for fifth place: 37.41 seconds. Debutante Isabel Grevelt, the third Dutch participant, came ninth with a time of 38.03 seconds.

De Boo came into action in the penultimate stage. With a time of 34.65 seconds, he was just less fast than his direct opponent Marek Kania from Poland (34.56), but occupied second place at that time. In the final stage, the Canadian Dubreuil was the fastest of all with 34.47 seconds.

Nuis set a time of 34.96 seconds. That turned out not to be enough to compete for the top spots. Nuis finished ninth. Wennemars finished sixteenth: 35.18 seconds.

• Men: Jenning de Boo, Kjeld Nuis, Joep Wennemars
• Women: Jutta Leerdam, Femke Kok, Isabel Grevelt