Speed skater Hendrik Dombek got off to a furious start in the Sprint and All-Around World Championships (March 7th to 10th, 2024) in Inzell, Bavaria. After two of four races, the Munich driver is in a strong seventh place. The medals will be awarded on Friday when the 500 and 1000 meters take place again.
It was clear beforehand that the German skid racers would not play first fiddle in the international title fights. “If everything fits, a top ten placement is possible”said team leader Helge Jasch in the run-up to the home World Cup.
Dombek strong seventh
Munich’s Hendrik Dombek conjured up an almost perfect performance on the ice late on Thursday evening (March 7th, 2024). He is in seventh place after the first day of the Sprint World Championships.
Dombek, who trains in Erfurt, met his compatriot, Moritz Klein from Erfurt, in a direct duel. Dombek (34.93 s) won the 500 meter race, Klein immediately took revenge and was a tad or 0.21 seconds faster over 1000 meters in 1:08.45 minutes.
In the overall ranking, Dombek’s times (34.93 s & 1:08.66 min) were enough for seventh place. Klein, who left a lot behind over 500 m, is 13th at the halfway point and still has his sights on the top ten.
Newcomer Emele in the top 20
Stefan Emele from Erfurt, who only found out late about his World Cup luck and was allowed to take part as a replacement for a missing Polish athlete, should also be satisfied. He won his direct duels over both 500 m and 1000 m and is in 20th place in the overall ranking after two of four runs.
The Germans are still a bit short of the fastest runners in the field. World champion Laurent Dubreuil from Canada, who has no good memories of the last Sprint World Championships in 2022 in Hamar (Norway), is in the lead. At that time he had also led after the first few runs, but then had to give up because of a positive Covid test. Dubreuil’s lead over Zhongyan Ning (China) is just 0.03 seconds. The Dutchman Jenning De Boo (+0.17 s) also still has the best chance of winning the title.
Ostlender – Personal best in the living room
The two German women were not quite as successful. Driven by the fans, local hero Anna Ostlender delivered brilliantly twice. In the opening 500 meters, the Bavarian ran a new personal best time of 38.4 seconds. The Inzeller also ran quickly over twice the distance in a time of 1:16.94 minutes. The reward: 14th place at the break.
The second German sprinter Lea Sophie Scholz was unlucky. The 24-year-old from Berlin is only in 26th and last place at halftime. After 39.72 seconds over 500 meters, she fell over twice the distance at the start and only ran 1:24.27 minutes. “The audience was behind you. It was super emotional that they were behind you. Maybe I’ll be chosen as the most likeable stand-up man.”said the Berliner.
Miho Takagi from Japan is in the lead, but she feels the breath of the two Dutch women Femke Kok (+0.46 s) and Jutta Leerdam (+0.48 s) in the fight for gold.
Anna Ostlender improved her personal best over 500 meters at the World Speed Skating Championships.
Prodigy Stolz intervenes Saturday
Part 2 of the Sprint World Championships will take place on Friday evening. After another race over 500 and 1000 meters, the new world champions will be determined. Things get serious for the all-around athletes on Saturday. Prodigy Jordan Stolz (19) also takes to the ice in the four-way competition over 500, 5,000, 1,500 and 10,000 meters. The six-time world champion wants to win all-around gold for the first time.
| Date | Competitions | |
|---|---|---|
Friday March 8th | Sprint: 2. Run 500 meters (m&w) and 1,000 meters (m&w) | |
Saturday March 9th | All-around: 500 meters (w), 500 meters (m), 3,000 meters (w), 5,000 meters (m) | |
Sunday March 10th | All-around: 1,500 meters (w), 1,500 meters (m), 5,000 meters (w), 10,000 meters (m) |