WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Dutch sprinter Femke Kok broke the women's 500m world record and the United States dominated the men's team pursuit on the final day of the ISU Speed Skating World Cup in Salt Lake City on Sunday.
Kok stunned the Utah Olympic Oval by clocking 36.09 seconds, slicing 0.27 off the 12-year-old world mark set by South Korea's Lee Sang-hwa. Skating in the last pair against Olympic champion Erin Jackson of the United States, Kok opened aggressively and held her speed through the final lap before watching the scoreboard in disbelief.
"This is bizarre," Kok, who won Saturday's first 500m race, told the ISU official website. "I've dreamt about this for so long... I felt more powerful than yesterday."
She added that the record even left room for improvement: "[Lee] was one tenth of a second faster in the opener, so it's still possible to improve."
Jackson also dipped under her previous best, finishing in 36.57, while Lee Na-hyun of South Korea placed third in 37.03.
In the men's team pursuit, the American trio of Ethan Cepuran, Emery Lehman and Casey Dawson powered to 3:32.49, lowering their own world record by more than a second. Racing in the final pairing, they built an early lead and finished well ahead of Norway, while China's Ning Zhongyan, Wu Yu and Liu Hanbin secured bronze in 3:36.65.
The excitement continued in the men's 500m, as Dutch sprinter Jenning de Boo triumphed in 33.63 seconds, just 0.02 outside the world record. Kazakhstan's Yevgeniy Koshkin finished second in 33.67, while South Korea's Kim Jun-ho clocked 33.78 for third.
Elsewhere, Japan returned to the top of the women's team pursuit for its first World Cup victory since 2023. Jorrit Bergsma of the Netherlands and Mia Manganello of the United States won the men's and women's mass start, respectively.
This season's Salt Lake City stop is one of four World Cups that double as qualification events for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games. The World Cup will next move to Calgary, Canada from Nov. 21 to 23. ■
