Feb 4, 2024 at 9:07 PM Update: a day ago
Joy Beune and Femke Kok had an excellent general for the World Championship distances in Calgary on Sunday. Beune won the 1,500 meters and Kok triumphed in the 500 meters.
In the absence of Olympic champion Miho Takagi and world champion Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong, Beune achieved a time of 1.55.50 on the skating mile. With this she equaled Ivanie Blondin’s track record.
For the 24-year-old Beune it was her first international victory in the 1,500 meters. The Team IKO skater has been in great shape in recent weeks. Two weeks ago she won the 3,000 meters in Salt Lake City, her first international success. Before that, she won the national title in the 1,500 meters.
Kok then celebrated success in the second 500 meters. The Dutch drove a time of 37.71, making her two tenths faster than number two Min-Sun Kim. Olympic champion Erin Jackson came third in 37.94. Kok missed out on victory in the first 500 meters by one hundredth on Saturday.
Beune and Kok are going to the World Championships distances, which will be held in two weeks in Calgary, Canada, with a good feeling. Beune has never won a World Cup medal. Kok is the defending champion in the 500 meters.
Femke Kok was the best in the 500 meters. Photo: Getty Images
Female third at 1,500 meters, Schouten in the rear on mass start
There was also success for Melissa Wijfje in the 1,500 meters. The 28-year-old skater from Team Zaanlander-Albert Heijn surprisingly finished third. She remained at a great distance from winner Beune (1.56.89).
Behind Beune and Wijfje, Groenewoud disappointed with a fifth fastest time (1.57.27). As a result, she lost her third place in the final rankings of the World Cup to Beune. Esther Kiel finished far outside the top ten. Kiel finished sixteenth in a time of 1.59.36.
Following in Kok’s footsteps, Naomi Verkerk and Marrit Fledderus played a supporting role in the 500 meters. Verkerk finished fifth in 38.25 and Fledderus was seven hundredths slower than her compatriot. She finished sixth.
Irene Schouten was not involved in the mass start. The North Holland native had to watch passively as a group took a big lead and was allowed to compete for victory. The Belgian Sandrine Tas took the victory. Schouten finished eighth.
Image: AP
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