⛸️ New World Champions Crowned! & Sablikova's Beautiful Farewell - 2026.03.08 | Speed Skating

Hey speed skating fans! It's Speed Skating Mania here ⛸️

Before the heat of the Milano Olympics even cools down, the ISU World Allround Speed Skating Championships in Heerenveen, Netherlands, is firing up the ice! I've handpicked only the best news for you this week, so let's dive right in! 👀

👑 New World Champions Crowned! Double Joy for Norway 🇳🇴

At the World Allround Championships in Heerenveen, Norwegian skaters achieved the amazing feat of taking the champion titles in both the men's and women's divisions! In the men's division, Sander Eitrem won the 10,000m race and became the new world champion ^[1]. It was so awesome to see him celebrating his victory with the fans at the ice rink after the race! In the women's division, Norway's Ragne Wiklund also reached the top of the world by winning gold in the 5,000m race ^[2]. Isn't the power of Norwegian speed skating just incredible? 👏

🇰🇷 Team Korea's Struggles & Bitter Reflections

Our national team skaters Park Ji-woo and Chung In-woo also sweated it out at this World Allround Championships. After the first day of this competition to find the ultimate skater, both athletes ranked 20th midway in their respective divisions ^[3]. Even though they are in the lower ranks, let's give a big round of applause to our athletes who did their best until the end, standing shoulder to shoulder with the world's top skaters! Let's go! 💪

Meanwhile, there was also a sharp analysis regarding the recent Olympic mass start results, where Korea failed to win a medal for the first time in 24 years. The point was made that Korea's traditional strategy of relying on a late spurt has been pushed aside by the modern speed skating trend of taking the lead early on ^[4]. Rather than focusing on short-term results, it seems necessary to reorganize the system at the national level and make bold strategic changes from a long-term perspective. I sincerely hope our speed skating can overcome this crisis and make a great leap forward once again! 🔥

🌟 War of the Stars & A Legend's Beautiful Farewell 😢

In the men's division of this tournament, Jordan Stolz of the USA is putting on a stellar performance, taking the midway lead, while in the women's division, Japan's Miho Takagi and Ragne Wiklund engaged in fierce competition as co-leaders ^[3].

And let me share one more truly heartwarming piece of news. Czech Republic's 'Long Distance Queen' Martina Sáblíková announced her retirement after this tournament, putting an end to her legendary career ^[5]. Her final race, which inspired countless generations, touched the hearts of fans all over the world. Thank you so much for showing us such wonderful races all this time, Martina! ❤️

That's all the news I've prepared for this week! Just like the burning passion of the skaters on the ice, I hope you all have an energetic week. See you next week! 👋