Dennis

I wanted to make a prediction for all four tournaments, but I don't have time to look at all the participants. However, this is my prediction for the women's allround tournament: Antoinette de Jong Martina Sáblíková Evgeniia Lalenkova Natalia Voronina Irene Schouten Karolina Bosiek Elizaveta Golubeva Francesca Lollobrigida Joy Beune Nikola Zdráhalová Natalia Czerwonka Ekaterina Sloeva Magdalena Czyszczoń Sofie Karoline Haugen Ida Njåtun Ragne Wiklund Mareike Thum Leia Marie Behlau Linda Rossi Kristiine Kalev I'm pretty sure of my top 5. Bosiek will only finish top 8 if she wins the 500m by a good margin, otherwise she'll finish 9th and Joy Beune will take her spot in the top 8. Czerwonka and Zdrahalova can also finish top 8 if Lollobrigida doesn't skate a good 3.000m. It's almost impossible to predict what Lollobrigida can do here as she has only skated two minor outdoor competitions this season. And some predictions for the podium per distance, just for fun. These are even more difficult to predict this season: 500m: Karolina Bosiek Ekaterina Sloeva Elizaveta Golubeva 1.500m: Evgeniia Lalenkova Elizaveta Golubeva Antoinette de Jong 3.000m: Martina Sáblíková Antoinette de Jong Natalia Voronina 5.000m: Martina Sáblíková Natalia Voronina Antoinette de Jong

I think the Russians won't take this tournament too seriously, so perhaps that's where there is a chance for them. The Polish skaters have had quite a number of internal competitions this year, which might benefit them in this weird season.

Excited for the first big international competition of the season. Normally speaking, all titles will be split between the Russians and the Dutch, but I'm hoping for some surprises. Perhaps Ignat Golovatsiuk can pull off a surprise in the men's sprint tournament. The 500m times he has skated in Minsk this season have been very solid. I'm also curious to see what Nils van der Poel can do, especially on the longer distances. I hope he qualifies for the final 10.000 meters, especially after that impressing time in Inzell.

Miho Takagi won all distances at the Japanese National Championships in Obihiro. Even more impressive is that she skated 4 new track records (1.000m, 1.500m, 3.000m and 5.000m). On the men's side there are five different national champions (500m = Yuma Murakami, 1.000m = Masaya Yamada, 1.500m = Takuro Oda, 5.000m = Seitaro Ichinohe, 10.000m = Ryosuke Tsuchiya). I find it strange that Japan already held their national single distances championships 2021 in October 2020 (Nagano), so I'm not really sure what these titles mean.

What a bizarre time, especially after a not so interesting 6.35 on the 5k where he finished behind 3 Danish, a Lativan and a Swiss skater and a 1.500m in 1.51 right before the 10k.

Several national championships were held this weekend. These are the medalists with their age in brackets. held in Hamar Women 500m 1.000m 1.500m 3.000m 5.000m 01. Julie Nistad Samsonsen [20] Ida Njåtun [29] Ida Njåtun [29] Ragne Wiklund [20] Ragne Wiklund [20] 02. Martine Ripsrud [25] Ragne Wiklund [20] Ragne Wiklund [20] Ida Njåtun [29] Sofie Karoline Haugen [25] 03. Carina Jagtøyen [22] Martine Ripsrud [25] Sofie Karoline Haugen [25] Sofie Karoline Haugen [25] Marit Fjellanger Bøhm [32] Men 500m 1.000m 1.500m 5.000m 10.000m 01. Håvard Holmefjord Lorentzen [28] Håvard Holmefjord Lorentzen [28] Allan Dahl Johansson [22] Hallgeir Engebråten [20] Hallgeir Engebråten [20] 02. Bjørn Magnussen [22] Odin By Farstad [22] Peder Kongshaug [19] Sindre Henriksen [28] Allan Dahl Johansson [22] 03. Odin By Farstad [22] Allan Dahl Johansson [22] Sindre Henriksen [28] Allan Dahl Johansson [22] Sander Tveter [21] None of the winning times on the women's side were impressive. On the men's side, the times were slightly better, though not world level. Let's hope Ragne Wiklund can make some progress this year after her progress stalled last season, because she is the one who needs to carry women's speed skating in Norway over the next years as there are no signs of solid junior skatings coming through over the next years. Sverre Lunde Pedersen (World Champion 5.000m in 2019, Olympic Champion Team Pursuit in Pyeongchang) withdrew, not sure if this is related to COVID-19. Peder Kongshaug, the Junior World Champion on the 1.000m, just missed out on the podium on multiple distances, but is still a junior and skated times that would be good enough to add at least one more world title this season if the championships are to be held. With three neo-seniors, this must be one of the youngest podiums ever on the 10.000 meter, a distance usually not skated at junior tournaments, though Tveter skated a time above 14 minutes and Engebråten was the only skater with a somewhat competitive time of. 13.28,73. Øystein Grødum [43] who finished 4th at the World Championships in 2008, finished in 5th place. held in Minsk Women 500m 1.000m 1.500m 3.000m 01. Hanna Nifantava [21] Ekaterina Sloeva [21] Marina Zueva [28] Marina Zueva [28] 02. Ekaterina Sloeva [21] Hanna Nifantava [21] Ekaterina Sloeva [21] Ekaterina Sloeva [21] 03. Yauheniya Varabyeva [22] Marina Zueva [28] Tatsiana Mikhailava [33] Anna Kovaleva [21] Men 500m 1.000m 1.500m 5.000m 01. Ignat Golovatsiuk [23] Ignat Golovatsiuk [23] Ignat Golovatsiuk [23] Yahor Damaratski [20] 02. Victor Rudenko [22] Uladzislau Zapoikin [21] Yahor Damaratski [20] Yauheni Bolhau [22] 03. Artsiom Chaban [26] Victor Rudenko [22] Yauheni Bolhau [22] Aliaksei Kirpichnik [23] Ekaterina Sloeva used to represent Russia, but only took part in competitions in Belarus, so it makes sense she switched her nationality. She is by far the most surprising skater here. Again, no competitive times, even Zueva who can be world class on a good day, didn't show any impressive form. Zueva, Nifantava and perhaps Sloeva are the three that I keep my eye on for qualification for Beijing 2022. Ignat Golovatsiuk remains the only male skater from Belarus to post times good enough to qualify for the Olympics. No women's 5.000m or men's 10.000m were held. held in Kolomna Women 500m 1.000m 1.500m 3.000m 5.000m 01. Olga Fatkulina [30] Olga Fatkulina [30] Evgeniia Lalenkova [30] Natalia Voronina [26] Natalia Voronina [26] 02. Angelina Golikova [29] Daria Kachanova [23] Elizaveta Golubeva [24] Evgeniia Lalenkova [30] Evgeniia Lalenkova [30] 03. Daria Kachanova [23] Elizaveta Golubeva [24] Natalia Voronina [26] Elizaveta Golubeva [24] Elena Sokhryakova [29] Men 500m 1.000m 1.500m 5.000m 10.000m 01. Ruslan Murashov [27] Viktor Mushtakov [23] Sergey Trofimov [25] Sergey Trofimov [25] Ruslan Zakharov [33] 02. Viktor Mushtakov [23] Ruslan Murashov [27] Daniil Aldoshkin [19] Ruslan Zakharov [33] Alexander Rumyantsev [33] 03. Artem Arefyev [20] Aleksandr Podolskii [21] Aleksandr Podolskii [21] Alexander Rumyantsev [33] Danila Semerikov [26] Voronina (WR holder 5.000m and reigning World Champion) skated a 6.56 on the 5.000m which is impressive for this time of year. Elizaveta Golubeva is the new name of Elizaveta Kazelina. That means all of the women's podiums are more or less the names you would expect there based on previous season(s). Aldoshkin coming close to winning the title in the men's 1.500m is the biggest surprise for me. However, Yuskov did not take part in these championships. Neither did Kulizhnikov (WR holder 500m and 1.000m), which resulted in only 1 impressive time on the sprint distances: 34,80 by Murashov on the 500m in Kolomna, which is not considered to be a very fast track. Rumyantsev won the 10k in a 13.09, which is very solid for this time of year. held in Tomaszów-Mazowiecki Women 500m 1.000m 1.500m 3.000m 5.000m 01. Karolina Bosiek [20] Karolina Bosiek [20] Natalia Czerwonka [32] Magdalena Czyszczon [25] Magdalena Czyszczon [25] 02. Kaja Ziomek [23] Natalia Czerwonka [32] Karolina Bosiek [20] Karolina Bosiek [20] Magdalena Borek [28] 03. Andzelika Wójcik [23] Andzelika Wójcik [23] Magdalena Czyszczon [25] Natalia Czerwonka [32] Natalia Jabrzyk [19] Men 500m 1.000m 1.500m 5.000m 10.000m 01. Artur Nogal [30] Artur Nogal [30] Marcin Bachanek [24] Szymon Palka [23] Szymon Palka [23] 02. Damian Zurek [21] Damian Zurek [21] Damian Zurek [21] Mateusz Owczarek [23] Patryk Wójcik [30] 03. Piotr Michalski [26] Marcin Bachanek [24] Szymon Palka [23] Patryk Wójcik [30] Marcin Bachanek [24] On the women's side, all medals were won by only 7 different skaters, none of them in impressive times. This shows the lack of depth in Polish speed skating at the moment, though you see in the junior categories that they are on the rise. Bosiek will have to carry Polish speedskating over the next years though waiting for the juniors to come through. Jabrzyk looks impressive with a bronze as a 19-year old, but her time is more than 1 minute slower than the time Antoinette de Jong skated today at the Dutch national championships which earned her a 7th place. The Polish men also weren't that impressive and are missing a clear star skater that could carry the Polish team. However, Szymon Wojtakowski finished top 10 in multiple distances. He's a 15 year old and therefore junior for 4 more seasons, and is probably the best skater worldwide in his age category. He won the Vikingrace (unofficial European Championships for juniors per age category) in his category last season by obliterating all the other skaters in every single distance. The Vikingrace has been won by many Can't wait to see what he'll be capable of in a couple of years. held in Heerenveen Women 500m 1.000m 1.500m 3.000m 5.000m 01. Femke Kok [20] Jutta Leerdam [21] Jorien ter Mors [30] Irene Schouten [28] Irene Schouten [28] 02. Jutta Leerdam [21] Femke Kok [20] Antoinette de Jong [25] Reina Anema [27] Reina Anema [27] 03. Marrit Fledderus [19] Ireen Wüst [34] Melissa Wijfje [25] Antoinette de Jong [25] Carlijn Achtereekte [30] Men 500m 1.000m 1.500m 5.000m 10.000m 01. Dai Dai N'tab [26] Thomas Krol [28] Thomas Krol [28] Patrick Roest [24] Marwin Talsma [22] 02. Hein Otterspeer [31] Kai Verbij [26] Patrick Roest [24] Sven Kramer [34] Patrick Roest [24] 03. Kai Verbij [26] Kjeld Nuis [30] Wesly Dijs [25] Marcel Bosker [23] Marcel Bosker [23] These are the first national titles for Irene Schouten on more traditional distances (7x national champion on the mass start) + a world leading time on the 5.000m. Olympic Champion Esmee Visser just missed out on the podium on the 5.000m. Ireen Wust has now won 41 medals at the national championships per distance. She has won at least one medal at each national championship since 2006. Femke Kok won her first of many national titles, standing on top of what must be the youngest podium ever at a Dutch national championship. The fact that Kjeld Nuis made the podium on the men's 1.000m is quite impressive after just getting out of a two-week quarantine. Jorrit Bergsma skated the fastest time on the 10.000m (0,3 seconds ahead of Talsma), but got disqualified for hindering Talsma on the change-over. The winning times on the men's 1.000m, 1.500m, 5.000m and 10.000m are currently the world leading times this season.

Haha, how amazing would it be if there was another Japanese skater with the surname Williamson without any family connection to Shane? She is indeed his sister. Arito already proved he is talented as he won 2 out of the 3 gold medals at the Youth Olympics (1.500m and mass start) this year in St. Moritz. And 13:28 in Nagano is a very respectable time for a 18-year old, so I'm excited to see what's next.

First National Championships of the season were held over this weekend in Nagano. Here are the podiums: Women: 500m 1.000m 1.500m 3.000m 5.000m Gold Nao Kodaira 37,73 Miho Takagi 1.14,21 Miho Takagi 1.54,81 Misaki Oshigiri 4.07,88 Lemi Williamson 7.14,58 Silver Arisa Go 37,76 Nao Kodaira 1.15,62 Ayano Sato 1.56,89 Ayano Sato 4.09,94 Nene Sakai 7.17,46 Bronze Kurumi Inagawa 38,00 Arisa Go 1.15,85 Nao Kodaira 1.57,29 Yunu Onodera 4.10,67 Manami Momose 7.25,58 Men: 500m 1.000m 1.500m 5.000m 10.000m Gold Yuma Murakami 34,72 Tatsuya Shinhama 1.08,53 Seitaro Ichinohe 1.46,33 Seitaro Ichinohe 6.25,85 Motonaga Arito 13.28,94 Silver Tatsuya Shinhama 34,91 Masaya Yamada 1.08,77 Taro Kondo 1.46,50 Riku Tsuchiya 6.26,34 Riku Tsuchiya 13.33,16 Bronze Yamato Matsui 34,94 Yuto Fujino 1.09,22 Masaya Yamada 1.47,18 Motonoga Arito 6.27,13 Seitaro Ichinohe 13.33,53 Biggest surprise for me is the new 10.000m national champion Motonaga Arito as he is still a junior this season, while this distance is never on the program of international junior competitions and championships. He also beat Seitaro Ichinohe who finished 2nd at the World Allround Championships on this distance while being faster than skaters such as Trofimov, Bloemen, Belchos and Pedersen. On the women's side almost all medal winners are 25+ and are all names we have seen before.

And the neo-seniors (born after 30th June 1997). Neo-seniors - Women: # 500m 1.000m 1.500m 3.000m 5.000m 01. Daria Kachanova Jutta Leerdam Joy Beune Noemi Bonazza Joy Beune 02. Jutta Leerdam Daria Kachanova Karolina Bosiek Nadezhda Morozova Lemi Williamson 03. Femke Kok Femke Kok Noemi Bonazza Joy Beune Nadezhda Morozova 04. Kim Min-Sun Elisa Dul Nadezhda Morozova Lemi Williamson Han Mei 05. Kaja Ziomek Karolina Bosiek Daria Kachanova Yuna Onodera Ahenar Adake Neo-seniors - Men: # 500m 1.000m 1.500m 5.000m 10.000m 01. Yamato Matsui Ning Zhongyan Ning Zhongyan Graeme Fish Graeme Fish 02. Artem Arefyev Koki Kubo Kim Min-Seok Vitaliy Schigolev Marwin Talsma 03. Gao Tingyu Ryota Kojima Tyson Langelaar Riku Tsuchiya Riku Tsuchiya 04. Wataru Morishige Yamato Matsui Riku Tsuchiya Marwin Talsma Chris Huizinga 05. Koki Kubo David La Rue David La Rue Hallgeir Engebråten Vitaliy Schigolev

Same thing for the juniors (born after 30th June 2001) for all distances and the allround ranking for which prizes are awarded at the Junior World Championships: Juniors - Girls: # 500m 1.000m 1.500m 3.000m Allround 01. Sin Seung-Heun Myrthe de Boer Merel Conijn Merel Conijn Merel Conijn 02. Isabel Grevelt Anna Ostlender Victoria Stirnemann Rin Kosaka Victoria Stirnemann 03. Anna Ostlender Merel Conijn Myrthe de Boer Zhang Yuanyuan Myrthe de Boer 04. Kim Min-Hui Meghan Wystrichowski Rin Kosaka Ayuri Fukuoka Chloé Hoogendoorn 05. Yukino Yoshida Yuka Takahashi Park Chae-Weon Victoria Stirnemann Evelien Vijn Juniors - Boys: # 500m 1.000m 1.500m 5.000m Allround 01. Jarle Gerrits Taiyo Nonomura Peder Kongshaug Taiyou Morino Peder Kongshaug 02. Timur Karamov Peder Kongshaug Motonaga Arito Pavel Taran Pavel Taran 03. Lee Byung-Hoon Jarle Gerrits Kouta Mitsui Peder Kongshaug Jonathan Tobon 04. Sebas Diniz Kai in 't Veld Taiyo Nonomura Lars Woelders Sander Eitrem 05. Yuudai Yamamoto Nil Llop Pavel Taran Park Sang-Eon Jarle Gerrits

Men: # 500m 1.000m 1.500m 5.000m 10.000m 01. Tatsuya Shinhama Pavel Kulizhnikov Kjeld Nuis Patrick Roest Jorrit Bergsma 02. Yuma Murakami Thomas Krol Thomas Krol Ted-Jan Bloemen Patrick Roest 03. Pavel Kulizhnikov Kjeld Nuis Patrick Roest Sven Kramer Graeme Fish 04. Viktor Mushtakov Laurent Dubreuil Denis Yuskov Danila Semerikov Danila Semerikov 05. Kim Jun-Ho Kai Verbij Ning Zhongyan Jorrit Bergsma Alexander Rumyantsev 06. Ruslan Murashov Tatsuya Shinhama Kim Min-Seok Graeme Fish Ted-Jan Bloemen 07. Laurent Dubreuil Ning Zhongyan Joey Mantia Denis Yuskov Douwe de Vries 08. Dai Dai Ntab Masaya Yamada Seitaro Ichinohe Alexander Rumyantsev Patrick Beckert 09. Yamato Matsui Håvard Holmefjord Lorentzen Sverre Lunde Pedersen Marcel Bosker Davide Ghiotto 10. Artem Arefyev Koki Kubo Takuro Oda Sverre Lunde Pedersen Ryosuke Tsuchiya

I'm a big fan of statistics and I've decided to compile an unofficial world ranking based on the best four times skated per distance over the past 12 months (or 24 months for women's 5k and men's 10k), adjusted for the track they're skating on. I know most people won't care, but it's just a fun project for myself. If there's one place where others potentially might be interested, it would be here. This is what the top 10 per distance looks like right now before the start of the new season: Women: # 500m 1.000m 1.500m 3.000m 5.000m 01. Nao Kodaira Miho Takagi Miho Takagi Martina Sáblíková Martina Sáblíková 02. Angelina Golikova Jutta Leerdam Ireen Wüst Ivanie Blondin Esmee Visser 03. Vanessa Herzog Brittany Bowe Evgeniia Lalenkova Isabelle Weidemann Natalia Voronina 04. Olga Fatkulina Daria Kachanova Ivanie Blondin Natalia Voronina Isabelle Weidemann 05. Daria Kachanova Olga Fatkulina Yekaterina Shikhova Carlijn Achtereekte Carlijn Achtereekte 06. Miho Takagi Nao Kodaira Elizaveta Kazelina Antoinette de Jong Ivanie Blondin 07. Arisa Go Yekaterina Shikhova Melissa Wijfje Esmee Visser Marina Zueva 08. Brittany Bowe Jorien ter Mors Antoinette de Jong Evgeniia Lalenkova Antoinette de Jong 09. Maki Tsuji Letitia de Jong Brittany Bowe Melissa Wijfje Carien Kleibeuker 10. Kaylin Irvine Ireen Wüst Nana Takagi Irene Schouten Irene Schouten

Thanks man! I'm doing great. In total I was sick for about 5 days, 3 of which I felt very ill with a high fever and afterwards I lost my taste and my smell, which was a strange experience but nothing bad. Hope everyone here is still healthy and manages to keep their spirits up.

Hahaha, that's true. And nobody likes to rent out a place to two friends in their 20s, afraid that we might break down the whole place, so it was one nightmare to find a place here when we had to leave our previous home. Yeah, I thought by taking good precautions, it was possible to at least delay it by a couple of days, but as most symptoms become apparent after day 4 or day 5, I most likely got infected within the first 24 hours. But hey, as you said, no need to worry anymore about getting it. As I said, for me it was not bad at all. It felt like a regular flu to me which I had last February. So if any of you happen to get infected, I hope your symptoms will be as mild as they were for me.

Hahaha, don't have much of a choice with these housing prices here in Amsterdam. That's right! He's a nice guy. He asked me if it was okay that he would come back to Amsterdam as his mother had cancer not that long ago and staying with her would be a higher risk than staying with me. We tried everything we could to keep the virus contained by for example having him only stay in his bedroom and me providing him with food by leaving it in front of his doorstep, but to no avail. I can't wait. Thanks for the support!

Unfortunately I got infected through my roommate who came back from Austria about 1,5 week ago after the town he visited got quarantined due to a Corona outbreak. He and all of his friends he went on the trip with all got sick after returning to the Netherlands. Fortunately, my roommate has already recovered in full and I'm slowly recovering as well, and luckily we both only had mild symptoms. However, I've been locked inside with my roommate for more than a full week now and I'm already slowly going crazy. We can't even go outside to buy groceries or medication and have to rely on friends and family to drop that off at the door. Although I'm very thankful for everyone's support, I can't wait to go outside again in a few days when I'm fully recovered, even if it's only a 5-minute walk to the nearest supermarket.

After the second 500m: Top contenders/outsiders: Best results for: 1. Miho Takagi, 2. Nao Kodaira and 3. Kaylin Irvine Worst results for: 1. Vanessa Herzog, 2. Daria Kachanova, 3. Brittany Bowe Other skaters: Best results for: 1. Hege Bøkko, 2. Li Qishi, 3. Zhao Xin Worst results: 1. Andżelika Wójcik, 2. Hanna Nifantava, 3. Stien Vanhoutte Overall: Expected podium is now Miho Takagi, 2. Nao Kodaira and 3. Olga Fatkulina. Miho will be the only one who will finish below 150 points (even below 149 points). Biggest disappointments this tournament: 1. Daria Kachanova, 2. Brittany Bowe, 3. Vanessa Herzog. Kachanova has retired after this 500m. Andżelika Wójcik now most likely to finish last, even though I expected her to finish more than 5 points in front of Kim Min-Ji.

Final standings: Men: Kiran Badloe - 37 points Dorian van Rijsselberghe - 39 points Thomas Goyard - 56 points Because Dorian finished second here, he won’t get to defend his title in Tokyo as Kiran has now won 2 golds and 1 silver at the latest three world championships, whereas Dorian won 1 gold and 2 silvers. Too bad the two best windsurfers in the world can’t both compete against each other at the Olympics. Women: Lilian de Geus - 46 points Charline Picon - 51 points Noy Drihan - 52 points Lilian wins her second world title after also winning in 2018 and it’s her five medal overall (2 - 0 - 3). Seems like the Israeli women were only looking at each other in the medal race as the finished in the two bottom positions today.

After the first 1.000m: Top contenders/outsiders: On average, most times on this first 1.000m were around what I expected, but there were some great outliers on both sides: Out of the favorites and outsiders, Arisa Go, Jorien ter Mors and Miho Takagi had the best 1.000m. Daria Kachanova, Vanessa Herzog and Nao Kodaira were the biggest disappointments on this first 1.000m. Outside of the top contenders: Kim Min-Ji did a lot better than I expected closing the gap to the rest, but I still think she'll finish last, Hege Bøkko and Zhao Xin/Li Qishi did well to. Hanna Nifantava didn't do well and neither did the two Polish ladies. Thoughts after Day 1: Top contenders/outsiders: Miho Takagi will win the world title by a landslide if nothing unusual happens tomorrow. Not what I expected after her results in Salt Lake City. Olga Fatkulina and Nao Kodaira will fight for silver and bronze. The skaters who did the best overall compared to the rest of their season: Miho Takagi, Arisa Go and Jorien ter Mors. Biggest disappointments for me are Daria Kachanova, Brittany Bowe and Angelina Golikova. Outside of the favorites/outsiders: Top 3 performers for me today were 1. Li Qishi, 2. Kim Min-Ji and 3. Hege Bøkko. Disappointments were 1. Andżelika Wójcik, 2. Hanna Nifantava and 3. Katja Franzen, all having shown much better results during this season.

Close first 500m in the men's sprint tournament. Dubreuil wins the race and won bronze on the 1.000m at the World Distance Championships two weeks ago, so he might challenge the Russians here. Pretty much all 1.000m specialists apart from Kulizhnikov and Dubreuil showed disappointing times.

After the first 500m: I really overestimated the speed of the track. I'd expected a winning time around 37,25 like the World Cup last year. On average, skaters were about 0,30 slower than I predicted. After the first 500m, I'd say these are the winners and losers among the favorites and outsiders. Winners: Miho Takagi Losers: Daria Kachanova, Brittany Bowe, Angelina Golikova (almost fell), Jutta Leerdam and Letitia de Jong Overall Hanna Nifantava did the poorest compared to what I predicted, whereas Li Qishi did the best as she's more of a 1.000m specialist. This will be an exciting battle between Kodaira, Takagi and Fatkulina now.

About 15 minutes to go. Just for fun, I'll make a prediction for the women's sprint tournament, because in my eyes that's the most difficult one to predict this weekend: Bowe performed poorly in Salt Lake City and Calgary, but perhaps this sea-level track helps her getting back to her high level. Ter Mors is a big question mark for me as she hasn't skated many competitions in the past two years after she had an injury during the 2018-2019 season and this season she was suffering from illness a lot. Leerdam won the 1.000m world title two weeks ago, but she hasn't competed in a 500m since her win at the national championships. Furthermore, I'm not sure if that win was a fluke as the main favorites showed disappointing times there and she outdid herself. Takagi wasn't impressive on the 1.000 in Salt Lake City, the distance on which I think on average she's the best in the world. That's why I put her a little lower than what she's capable of when she's in shape. Herzog is good on the 500m, but hasn't shown much on the 1.000m throughout the season. The Koreans went with a weird choice when you have Kim Min-Sun and Kim Hyun-Yung as well who are better than Kim Min-Ji in both distances. Rank Skater Points 01. Nao Kodaira 149,905 02. Daria Kachanova 150,000 03. Brittany Bowe 150,075 04. Olga Fatkulina 150,085 05. Angelina Golikova 150,400 06. Miho Takagi 150,605 07. Jutta Leerdam 150,800 08. Vanessa Herzog 151,325 09. Letitia de Jong 151,450 10. Kimi Goetz 152,255 11. Jorien ter Mors 152,305 12. Kaylin Irvine 152,685 13. Arisa Go 152,740 14. Heather McLean 153,785 15. Kaja Ziomek 153,935 16. Zhao Xin 154,685 17. Huang Yu-Ting 155,695 18. Li Qishi 155,790 19. Hanna Nifantava 155,835 20. Tian Ruining 156,160 21. Abigail McCluskey 157,020 22. Andżelika Wójcik 157,065 23. Ida Njåtun 157,145 24. Katja Franzen 157,540 25. Hege Bøkko 157,780 26. Stien Vanhoutte 159,065 27. Kim Min-Ji 162,350

Full overview of the tournaments awarded in Cairo today: 2021: Men/Women's U17 World Championships Beach Handball): 2022: Women's -20 World Championships: Women's -18 World Championships: 2023: Men's -21 World Championships: Men's -19 World Championships: 2024: Women's -20 World Championships: 2025: Men's -21 World Championships: Men's -19 World Championships: Men's World Championships: / / Women's World Championships: / 2027: Men's World Championships: Women's World Championships: Not sure if there were any non-European countries who submitted a bid for any of these events. "The 2024 IHF Women’s Youth (U18) World Championship is to be re-announced to find new potential host nations in order to spread the events further." Source: https://www.ihf.info/media-center/news/ihf-council-awards-events-2027

Podium: Bouwmeester Jonker Host Van der Vaart (7th) and Akkerman (10th) also in the top 10.