Polish skater Wiktoria Dąbrowska takes third place on World Cup debut in Beijing

Debut podium in Beijing

Wiktoria Dąbrowska, a 20-year-old Polish skater, took third place in the women's 1000 metres at the season-opening World Cup in Beijing on Friday, 13 November, in her first senior World Cup start. She finished in 1:15.85, behind Angel Daleman of the Netherlands (1:14.07) and Kristina Shumekova of Kazakhstan (1:15.64). Dąbrowska raced in the penultimate pair alongside Denmark's Sofia Thorup. Dutch skater Femke Kok finished sixth, and Dąbrowska was 0.02 seconds ahead of China's Mei Han.

Angel Daleman (Netherlands), 1st74.07

Kristina Shumekova (Kazakhstan), 2nd75.64

Wiktoria Dąbrowska (Poland), 3rd75.85

Karolina Bosiek (Poland), 13th77.77

Angel Daleman (Netherlands), 1st

74.07 seconds

Kristina Shumekova (Kazakhstan), 2nd

75.64 seconds

Wiktoria Dąbrowska (Poland), 3rd

75.85 seconds

Karolina Bosiek (Poland), 13th

77.77 seconds

Data from the article text

Form before Beijing

Dąbrowska had already won the 500 m and 1000 m at the senior Polish championships in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, where she skated 1:15.05 on the longer distance to take the national title. Her Beijing time was slightly slower than that effort, but the race still showed she can compete with the world's best. In the junior World Cup circuit she never finished outside the top four, and at the junior world championships she was fourth in the 1000 m. Speaking after the race, she said:

“Honestly, my goal was to get into the World Cup. I did it.”

She had told an interview at the end of October that her aim for the season was to get used to the emotions and technical demands of World Cup racing.

Other Polish results

Damian Żurek finished fifth in the men's 1000 m in 1:08.67, returning from a back injury. Władimir Semirunnij, an Olympic silver medallist, was fifth in the 5000 m in 6:12.56. In division B, Iga Wojtasik was fifth and Martyna Baran seventh in the women's 1000 m. Mateusz Śliwka was fifth in the men's 1000 m and 13th in the 5000 m, while Zofia Braun was eighth in the women's 3000 m in division B. Karolina Bosiek was 13th in the women's 1000 m in 1:17.77.

Records and winners

Ning Zhongyan won the men's 1000 m for the host nation in 1:07.43, taking the track record from Jordan Stolz, who did not compete at this event. Czech skater Metodej Jilek set a new track record in the 5000 m of 6:04.77, improving the mark by almost four seconds. The top of the field was tight, with several skaters separated by hundredths of a second.