Dutch speed skater Femke Kok shatters 500 meter world record
Dutch speed skater Femke Kok shattered the world record in the 500 meters at the World Cup in Salt Lake City on Sunday. With a time of 36.09, she significantly improved the previous record of 36.36, set by South Korean Lee Sang-hwa 12 years ago.
“I’ve watched her race hundreds of times. I always thought: How can you go that fast?” a beaming Kok told NOS shortly after breaking Lee Sang-hwa’s record. “I thought: If I can get anywhere near that, it’s a dream. But now I’m the fastest in the world. My dream has come true.”
Kok had already skated a very strong first 500 meters Utah Olympic Oval on Saturday, setting a Dutch record at 36.48. So she was already harboring a secret hope for the world record. “I knew I had to open the race very fast today, and that was my main focus,” she said. Her opening time was 10.18, the best ever for a Dutch woman. “I still can’t believe it.”
The 25-year-old from Friesland is now the first Dutch skater ever to hold a world record in the 500 meters and the first Dutch skater to hold a world record since Annamarie Thomas broke the 1,500 meters record in 1999.
The other Dutch women also skated very well in the 500 meters, with many breaking personal bests this weekend. Marriott Fledderus (sixth in 37.11), Anna Boersma (fifth in 37.11), and Angel Daleman (13th in 37.42) all set new fastest times. Jutta Leerdam, who collided with Ivanie Blondin during training on Sunday morning, finished 10th with a time of 37.36.
