Jordan Stolz, the American sensation, continued his record-breaking streak at the ISU World Cup in Hamar, Norway, claiming two gold medals in the men's 500m and 1,500m events with new track records on Friday. The 21-year-old's dominance began last weekend in Heerenveen, Netherlands, where he secured golds in three events, setting three new track records. In Hamar, he finished the first 500m race in 33.97 seconds, outpacing Dutchman Jenning de Boo, who won the World Championships on the same rink. De Boo, despite skating faster than his previous mark, settled for silver. Poland's Damian Zurek took third place. Stolz's 1,500m victory marked his fifth consecutive track record, with silver going to Kjeld Nuis of the Netherlands and bronze to China's Ning Zhongyan. The women's 500m race saw a new track record set by Femke Kok of the Netherlands, slicing 0.20 seconds off the previous record. Dutchwoman Kok remained unbeaten over the distance this season. Kaja Ziomek-Nogal of Poland took silver, and Japan's Yukino Yoshida bagged bronze. Japan's Olympic champion Miho Takagi claimed her first World Cup gold in the women's 1,500m, with Kazakhstan's Nadezhda Morozova taking silver and Norway's Ragne Wiklund securing bronze. The World Cup action continues on Saturday, with more gold medals up for grabs in various events, marking a crucial point in the race for Olympic qualification.
