Salt Lake City is the second World Cup short track race of the season after the show in Montreal. Desmet immediately dictated the longest segment: 1500 metres. In a slow sprint, Belgium’s Jeon Hee dragged Kim of South Korea and Olga Techunova of Kazakhstan into the semi-finals.
At an altitude of 1000 metres, she walked much faster. The Olympic oval at high altitudes offers great opportunities in this regard. With a 1’26” 982 win, Desmet has already set the Belgian record (old: 1’26” 993 at Dordrecht on March 7, 2021).
This record was half a second higher than the world record. It was the current record holder, Dutch Olympic champion Suzanne Schulting, who honed that record after several rounds to 1’25” 948.
So Desmet and Schulting were the only drivers on Friday who were able to complete a lap (111 metres) in under nine seconds.
The Olympic bronze medalist is the only Belgian short track speed skater in Salt Lake City. Her brother Stijn was injured in Montreal when he fell in the 1500m final. As for the other Belgians, the KBSF Ski Federation didn’t have the money to send them to the Olympic Oval in Utah.
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