22/01/2022
+++ Five Dutch victories opened the Junior World Cup Finals at Innsbruck +++
The Netherlands was the dominant force over 1.000 metres at the Junior World Cup final. Pien Smit won the women’s event ahead of Kazakh Alina Dauranova, who lost over a second to the fast dutch athlete. Yukino Yoshida won the Bronze Medal. With three wins in three competitions Smit was the clear number one over 1.000 metres at this years Junior World Cup. “Although I was the favourite, I was not sure. I hoped to secure the win, but after a break of over a month in the Junior Series, all starts at zero”, Smit said.
Her fellow countryman Joep Wennemars leaded a clean sweep at the Junior Men race. He won ahead of Tim Prins and Kayo Vos. Wennemars and Prins had a close duel at the last pairing, just 7 thousand of a second divided them at the finish line. “It is always a big battle with Tim and today it was very close. But we love those fights, and it is a big fun racing each other”, said Wennemars, who won the Overall World Cup ahead of Prins and the Russian Nikita Proshin. At the Neo-Senior race Irina Kuznetsova from Russia and Victor Rudenko of Belarus were the winners.
The next win for Europe’s speed skating country number one was done by Evelien Vijn over 3.000 metres. The junior secured her third victory this season. At Innsbruck she set a time in quite snowy conditions of 4:29.731 and won three seconds ahead of Czech Zuzana Kursova and Japanese Mio Takahashi. “I’m very happy. It was difficult with all the snow. I’ve never skated in conditions like that, and it was quite a heavy one today. As a good skater, you have to skate on every condition”, explained Vijn.
Into big footsteps walked Sigurd Henriksen, the younger brother of Olympic Champion Sindre. The young Norwegian won the 3.000 metres of the Men’s junior race ahead of Stijn Van De Bunt and Russian Vladimir Semirunny. “I grew up at an outdoor rink, so I have some experienced at these conditions. In the future I want to follow the successes of my brother. Now I’m looking forward to the World Championships next week, but in the upcoming years I’m aiming also for an Olympic medal”, told Henriksen.
At the Neo-Seniors Belarus Yahor Damaratski had a tight battle with local hero Gabriel Odor and beat the Austrian by five hundredths of a second. The Austrian then had the smile after the Team Sprint, where he won alongside his team-mates Ignaz Gschwentner and Alexander Farthofer the competition ahead of Belarus. At the women’s Neo-Senior race Anna Kovaleva of Belarus won ahead of Laura Peveri from Italy and Marte Bjerkreim Furnee of Norway. The Team Sprint of the women was won by Germany. At the Junior Team Sprints the Netherlands was winning both at the men and at the women.
ALL RESULTS: https://live.isuresults.eu/events/2022_AUT_0001/schedule
