Norwegian speed skater Sander Eitrem made history by breaking the men’s 5000m world record at the ISU Speed Skating World Cup held in Inzell, Germany. Eitrem completed the event in an impressive time of five minutes and 58.52 seconds, becoming the first skater to achieve a sub-six-minute finish in this distance. The previous record of 6:00.23 was set by French skater Timothy Loubineaud in Salt Lake City, U.S.
Eitrem, aged 23, expressed his astonishment and joy as he crossed the finish line at the Max Aicher Arena. He threw his goggles in the air in celebration before placing his hands on his head in disbelief. In his interview with Norwegian broadcaster NRK, Eitrem described his feelings as “speechless” and emphasized that achieving a sub-six-minute 5000m race had been a lifelong dream come true.
In the competition, Loubineaud finished in third place, more than five seconds behind Eitrem, while Czech skater MetodÄ›j JÃlek secured the second spot with a time of 6:01.98, earning the top overall position for the 19-year-old. Meanwhile, American skater Jordan Stolz continued his outstanding performance by winning the final 1000m race of the World Cup and leading the overall standings after claiming victory in all five races, in addition to his earlier win in the 1500m event.
Stolz also maintained a significant lead in the 500m standings ahead of the upcoming final race. Canadian skater Ted-Jan Bloemen finished at the bottom of the 5000m event with a time of 6:25.172, more than 26 seconds behind Eitrem’s record-breaking performance.
The speed skating events at the Milano-Cortina Winter Games are scheduled to take place from February 7 to 21.