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 astonishing 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, USA.
The 23-year-old Eitrem, who secured third place in the long distances overall standings, was visibly shocked and elated 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 an interview with Norwegian broadcaster NRK, Eitrem expressed his overwhelming emotions, stating, “I am still speechless. It probably hasn’t fully sunk in yet. Being the first under six minutes has been a dream since I was little, so the fact that I actually am the first, it’s incredibly big.”
In the competition, Loubineaud finished over five seconds behind Eitrem, securing third place, while Czech skater Metoděj Jílek claimed the second spot with a time of 6:01.98, earning the top overall position in the event.
American skater Jordan Stolz continued his impressive performance by winning the final 1000m race of the World Cup and topping the overall standings after triumphing in all five races. Stolz also holds a commanding lead in the 500m standings ahead of the upcoming final race on Sunday.
On the other hand, Canada’s Ted-Jan Bloemen finished last in the 5000m event with a time of 6:25.172, trailing Eitrem by more than 26 seconds. Speed skating events at the Milano-Cortina Winter Games are scheduled to run from February 7 to 21.