Video: Dutch speed skater tops 100 km/h on ice to set new record

Dutch speed skater Kjeld Nuis broke his own world speed record this week, reaching in incredible 103 kilometers per hour during his attempt in Norway. He accomplished the feat on a straight three-kilometer natural ice track prepared on the frozen Savallen Lake in Tynset.

The three-time Olympic gold medalist skated within a large shield to protect him from the wind, a more advanced version than what was used when he set the record in Sweden at 93 km/h. The shield was pulled by a specially equipped Dakar Rally truck, a Toyota Hilux driven by rally racer Seth Quintero.

"I skated the world record! I hit 103 kilometers an hour. Four years ago, I did 93 kilometers an hour. That last part is really hard. It sounds just like a little gap, but it's really hard to do," Nuis said after the run in a video produced by his sponsor, Red Bull. "I literally flew over the ice when there was a little bump," he said.

"I felt that if I divide my energy, I'll get some extra energy for the punch at the end. And that made the difference. ... from 93 to 103. Awesome!"

The 32-year-old from Leiden was coached by another top speed skater, Erben Wennemars. "A hundred kilometers per hour is so hard! When you see how fast you go on the ice, it really is bizarre," Wennemars stated. "We couldn't go any faster."

Nuis recently took the 1,500m gold medal during the Beijing Olympics in February. He won both the 1,000m and 1,500m in Pyeongchang in 2018.