SALT LAKE CITY, USA - 16. NOVEMBER 2025: Erin Jackson fra USA, Femke Kok fra Holland, Na-Hyun Lee fra Republikken Korea under World Cup Speed Skating

Dutch star shatters 12-year old 500m World Record in Salt Lake City

November 21, 2025 Aksel Kryhlmand

The final session of the ISU Speed Skating World Cup in Salt Lake City wrapped up with the kind of results that explain why athletes view the Utah Olympic Oval as a rare opportunity.

Sitting at high altitude and known for its exceptionally hard, low-resistance ice, the venue has been the site of many of the discipline’s fastest times over the past two decades. On Sunday, it lived up to that reputation yet again.

Kok’s sprint sets a new benchmark

Femke Kok, already considered one of the sport’s leading sprinters, delivered the most striking performance of the day.

The 24-year-old Dutch athlete stopped the clock at 36.09 seconds, setting a new world record in the women’s 500m.

The mark surpassed the 36.36 set by Korea’s Lee Sang-Hwa in 2013, also achieved in Salt Lake City and long regarded as one of the most durable records in speed skating.

Kok had signaled she was in exceptional form after breaking the Dutch national record the day before.

Following her qualifying race, she noted the unique conditions in Utah: “This track glides more than other tracks, where you have to run more. Here, you have to start gliding sooner. That’s something I can improve.”

Less than 24 hours later, she converted that observation into the fastest lap ever recorded at the distance.

Her achievement also carries historical resonance: Lee’s record had stood for twelve years to the day, adding a small layer of symmetry to a moment likely to be remembered for a long time within Dutch speed skating.

American trio energizes the home crowd

Not long after Kok’s sprint, the home audience was treated to a record of its own. Team USA, Casey Dawson, Emery Lehman, and Ethan Cepuran, lowered the men’s team pursuit world record to 3:32.49.

Their new time carved more than a second off the 3:33.66 they set in early 2024, marking the latest step in the steady rise of a program that has made distance events a strategic priority ahead of the 2026 Winter Games.

The American trio moved efficiently through each phase of the three-skater relay, maintaining tight formation and achieving negative splits in the final third of the race.

Their performance reinforces the Oval’s status as a venue where technical precision can translate directly into record-setting speed.

Why Salt Lake City matters in speed skating

Salt Lake City, along with Calgary, is part of a rare group of high-altitude ovals. Thinner air reduces aerodynamic drag, and the consistent indoor temperature allows ice technicians to create an exceptionally fast surface.

As a result, many athletes tailor their early-season preparation specifically for these North American World Cup stops, hoping to capitalize on peak conditions.

The success of both Kok and the American team underscores that dynamic and sets the stage for the remaining World Cup events.

With several stops still ahead, and the 2026 Olympic season approaching, coaches and athletes alike will be analyzing these runs closely.

Both world records reset expectations for the coming months.

Kok will enter the next World Cup events as the clear athlete to beat in the sprint distances, while Team USA’s performance confirms that their pursuit squad remains a major contender against perennial powerhouses such as the Netherlands, Canada, and Norway.

If the season continues on its current pace, more records may not be far behind, especially as the circuit moves toward Calgary, the only other oval capable of producing similar speeds.