Speed skater Kjeld Noyes has won the silver medal in his first 1,500m of the season at the World Cup. The two-time Olympic champion at this distance beat Canadian Connor Howe with a time of 1.43.64. Howe won in a time of 1:43.38. Thomas Kroll was third.
Nuis missed the start of the season due to injury, but was selected for the World Cup in Heerenveen. At the first stage, he immediately elected him. Nuis led two fast laps and was able to maintain that pace going into the final lap. In the end he was six tenths of a second off his own record (1.43.00). Kroll, the 1,500m world champion, was still under Noyce’s time at the start of the last round, but he couldn’t keep up. With 1.43.83 it was a bit slower.
Howe, who had finished second in Stavanger a week earlier, was just a little faster than Noyes on the penultimate stage. American teenager Jordan Stolz, the winner in Norway, was beaten in his stage by China’s Zhongyan Ning and hung on to ninth place.
Patrick Roest took over training Belgium’s Bart Swings one day after his impressive 5000m victory. With a flat race, the skier van Rijburgh reached 1.44.11, the sixth fastest time. Wesley DJs led 1.45.20. That was good for the 13th. Louis Hollar reached 1.45.38 and was 14.
Nuis was pleased with his form. “It’s a pity I’m so close to winning, but Howe also had a very beautiful cross after 1,100 metres. With a ride like that I would have had a gold medal around my neck,” said NOS’s Nuis.
The 33-year-old skater learned that he opened very carefully. “Then you see I’m full of energy. The last lap by 27.8 is à la Roest. I didn’t know I had that in me. That time comes from the opening. And now I’m going through one last fast lap, that’s also new to me.”
Nuis was surprised his record still stood. “This is standard ice, I’m not too bad. I’m just getting better and it gives me a lot of energy.”
