Team USA’s Ilsa Shobe skates during the 1,500-meter race on Tuesday, Jan. 17 during the Lake Placid 2023 FISU Winter World University Games. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

LAKE PLACID — Track records are made to be broken in speedskating, and they were at the James C. Sheffield Speed Skating Oval on Monday, Jan. 16, not once, but twice in the 5,000-meter race.

Eric Heiden still looms large in speed skating, and 43 years ago in Lake Placid, he earned an unprecedented five gold medals and set track records at the 1980 Olympic Winter Games.

Italy’s Riccardo Lorello broke Heiden’s track record of 7:02.29 for the 5000, clocking in at 6:53.22. Shortly after, teammate Daniele Di Stefano also recorded a time under Heiden’s, with a time of 6:55.20. Their performances earned them gold and silver, respectively. Japan’s Motonaga Arito skated to a bronze medal with a time of 7:03.03.

“I’m so happy because it’s my first track record ever,” said Lorello. “This is my second season in speedskating, and my first event in the senior category, so I’m very happy with the result.”

For the Italian skaters, it was not only an individual win but a true moment of sportsmanship. Lorello was thrilled that Di Stefano would join him on the podium, noting that his teammate was like a brother and that they lived and trained together.

Team USA’s Sydney Yu-Terpening skates during the 1,500-meter race on Tuesday, Jan. 17 during the Lake Placid 2023 FISU Winter World University Games. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

Di Stefano shared the sentiment.

“I’m very happy for my teammate. For me, he is my brother and now we always have this moment to finish first and second”.

American Thomas Fitzgerald broke into the top ten with an impressive seventh-place finish and a time of 7:07.87.

In the women’s 3,000-meter race, the three medalists all recorded times under the 4:32.13 track record of another 1980 Olympic gold medalist, Eva Bjorg Jensen of Norway, who won the 3,000-meter race there.

Canada’s Laura Anne Hall glided to a time of 4:25.70, which earned her a gold medal and a track record. She was joined on the podium by Korean Jiwoo Park (4:28.18), who placed second, and fellow Canadian Rose-Anne Grenier, banking a 4:29.10 time for bronze.

“I saw the record beforehand and kind of wanted to aim for that — just started fast and was able to keep the pace long enough to get it,” said Hall, about her race strategy. “I could hear the announcer throughout the race. I counted two laps to go, I heard that I was on a good pace for that. And then when I crossed the line, I could look on the board and see I’d gotten it.”

For the US, Thalia Staehle made the top 10, earning ninth place (4:42.68) while Sydney-Yu Terpening placed 21st.

Although the 5,000-meter record garnered the most attention because of the Heiden connection, track records started breaking on the first day of competition, Sunday, Jan. 15, with both 1,000-meter winners setting track records.

In the women’s event, Korean Olympian Minsun Kim set a new track record and earned the gold medal with a time of 1:20.46, besting fellow World University athlete Yuka Takahashi’s time last year by nearly 2 points. During last year’s 2022 FISU World University Championships, Takahashi clocked a time of 1.22.93.

Poland’s Iga Wojtasik started the event strong as the first pair, skating without a pairing but laying down an impressive time of 1:21.78 and capturing the silver, while Kim’s teammate Chaeeun Park finished just behind her with 1:21.85, securing a bronze medal for Korea.

Team USA’s Anna Quinn came in 20th place, while teammates Libby Williams, Sydney-Yu Terpening, and Ilsa Shobe came in 32nd, 34th, and 35th, respectively.

The men’s 1,000-meter event was equally exciting. With a record time of 1:12.38, Japan’s Kazuya Yamada broke U.S. skater Conor McDermott-Mostowsky’s track record of 1.14.78, skated at last year’s FISU World University Championships. Yamada narrowly secured victory above teammate Taiyo Nonomura, who placed second by approximately 100th of a second (1:12.50). David La Rue of Canada placed third by an even more narrow margin, coming in at 1:12.57.

The highest placement for the U.S. in this distance was achieved by William Gebauer, who earned 12th place (1:14.31); his teammate Thomas Fitzgerald placed 20th with a time of 1:16.81.

In the 1,500-meter race on Jan. 17, one of the most difficult distances in speed skating, Japanese athletes Taiyo Nonomura, Kazuya Yamada, and Motonaga Arito claimed gold, silver, and bronze — and all broke track records! Arito went first, with a time of 1:50.42, followed by Yamada’s time of 1:50.08, until it was finally bested by Nonomura who posted a blazing fast time of 1:49.93. Team U.S. skaters Thomas Fitzgerald (1:55.65) and William Gebauer (1:56.51) placed 18th and 21st, respectively.

The 1,500 track record for women was also broken three times: originally by Soo-Min Kang of South Korea (2:07.43, placing sixth); then broken again by Polish skater Natalia Jabrzyk (2:06.19) which was good enough for silver. 2018 Olympic competitor Jiwoo Park will be the track record holder with a time of 2:04.41 and her performance earned her the gold. Veronika Antosova of the Czech Republic clinched bronze (2:06.63).

“I am very pleased to win the race. I had a little bit of a regret missing first place yesterday, so to get first today is incredible,” said Park. “I was amazed that the track record we had yesterday was set in the 1980 Olympics and how historic this venue is.”

For Team USA, Thalia Staele placed the highest, ranking 20th; Anna Quinn followed with 22nd place, while Ilsa Shobe and Sydney Yu-Terpening placed 32nd and 33rd.

Racing continues through Jan. 20. For more information, visit www.lakeplacid2023.com.