The opening day saw gold medals shared across Asia, Europe and South America.
The first day of the Speed Skating World Championships gave the crowd fast races, strong tactics, and big surprises. From the explosive 200m dual TT to the 5,000m Points races, the skaters showed world-class performances.
200m dual TT
Junior Women
Italy’s Sofia Paola Chiumiento confirmed her dominance, winning the world title once again with an incredible time. She was only a few hundredths faster than Colombian Gisell Caicedo. Bronze went to Dairy Londono Cardenas (COL).
Junior Men
The category delivered a surprise from Asia: Kim Jichan of Korea claimed gold, followed by Li Yu Chen of Chinese Taipei in second place. Italy celebrated with Cristian Scassellati taking bronze.
Senior Women
The girls from Colombia were unstoppable. Kollin Castro stormed to victory with a phenomenal 18.89, breaking the 19-second barrier, while teammate Jeiny Pajaro took silver. The bronze went to rising French star Loubna Benkanoun.
Senior Men
Kou Li-Yang, Chinese Taipei, made history by winning his first World Title, stopping the clock at at 17.59. Reigning sprint king Jhoan Guzman ( Spain ), fresh off five golds at the World Games, had to settle to silver, just 0.06 behind. Italy’s Vincenzo Maiorca, last year’s champion, completed the podium with bronze.
5000m points
Junior Women
What an incredible race from Mariana Imitola Vasquez (COL), who led from the start and collected many points all through the race. Kwon Sejin (KOR) skated strong and secured enough points to take silver. The fight for bronze went to Fei Li Yu (CHN), who gave everything in the sprints to reach the podium.
Junior Men
It was a thrilling race with many attacks. Joaquin Loyola (ECU) worked hard from the start, but with 7 laps to go Gabriel Reyes (CHI) getting more points. Loyola answered in the last
sprint and secured the gold. Reyes took silver, and Diego Molina (COL) completed the podium with bronze.
Senior Women
From the opening lap, Gabriela Rueda collected points steadily. Mid-race Luz Karime had to shift gears, dominating several sprints, building a clear lead. With seven laps left, the home crowd exploded when Guo Dan attacked, earning in total 8 points and moving into the podium fight. But the biggest surprise came at the very end: Fernanda Moncada (ECU), sprinted in the final laps to grab the last points. With 8 points total, she took the gold medal and became the ne World Champion. Garzon finished second with also 8 points, while Guo Dan (CHN) secured bronze.
Senior Men
The race started with an early breakaway from Raul Pedraza (CHI) and Hugo Morin (FRA). They worked together and fought closely for gold and silver, finishing just one point apart. Behind them, the group battled for bronze. In the last laps, Chao Tsu-Cheng (TPE) managed to take the key points to secure third place. Final result: Pedraza gold, Morin silver, Chao bronze.
RESULTS:
200m dual TT
Junior Women
🥇 Sofia Paola CHIUMIENTO ITALY 19.030
🥈 Gisell CAICEDO COLOMBIA 19.087
🥉 Dairy Charith LONDOÑO CARDENAS COLOMBIA 19.337
Junior Men
🥇 Jichan KIM KOREA 18.045
🥈 Yu-Chen LI CHINESE TAIPEI 18.154
🥉 Cristian SCASSELLATI ITALY 18.167
Senior Women
🥇 Kollin CASTRO COLOMBIA 18.897
🥈 Geiny PAJARO COLOMBIA 19.106
🥉 Loubna BENKANOUN FRANCE 19.138
Senior Men
🥇 Li-Yang KUO CHINESE TAIPEI 17.599
🥈 Jhoan GUZMAN SPAIN 17.655
🥉 Vincenzo MAIORCA ITALY 17.820
5000m points
Junior Women
🥇 Mariana IMITOLA VASQUEZ COLOMBIA 07.50.119 17
🥈 Sejin KWON KOREA 07.54.789 11
🥉 Yu Fei LI CHINA 08.02.873 8
Junior Men
🥇 Joaquin LOYOLA CAVALIERI ECUADOR 07.22.272 12
🥈 Gabriel REYES CHILE 07.24.506 12
🥉 Diego MOLINA COLOMBIA 07.23.547 11
Senior Women
🥇 Fernanda MONCADA ECUADOR 07.51.500 8
🥈 Luz Karime GARZON ARBOLEDA COLOMBIA 07.56.042 8
🥉 Guo DAN CHINA 07.58.014 8
Senior Men
🥇 Raul PEDRAZA CHILE 07.30.533 23
🥈 Hugo MORIN FRANCE 07.35.064 22
🥉 Tsu-Cheng CHAO CHINESE TAIPEI 07.18.739 7
Find all the results: HERE
Watch live: www.worldskate.tv