A Day of Records at WU Trentino!

TRENTINO – Not only was the participation record broken at the 26th Winter Universiade in Trentino (2,636 vs 2,511 in 2007), new Universiade Records and Track Records also were broken yesterday 18 December on the Piné Speed Skating Oval.

Gold for Nenzi in Men’s 1,000m with New Record

Nenzi in action

A gold medal, a new Universiade’s Record and a new track record, what a great performance for 24-year old Italian Mirko Giacomo Nenzi who clocked the best time in the  Men’s 1,000m speed-skating with a 1.09.32, beating Polish skater Jan Mark Szymanski, already winner of two medals in this WU (5,000m and 1,500m) with almost one second. Nenzi, competing in the fourth from last heat, gave his best, increasing lap after lap his gap on Szymanski (who finished in 1.10.10) and earned a well-deserved victory, with a new record on Pinè’s ice rink on this distance. But the Italian skater with his performance also establishes the new Winter Universiade record. The previous record holder was 2006 Turin Olympic champion Enrico Fabris with a time of 1.09.68 at the 2007 Winter Universiade in Turin on the Oval’s indoor track. The only real threat for Nenzi could have come from Chinese Taipei’s Sung Ching-Yang (winner of World Cup Group B) who in the last heat recorded the two best laps, but slowed down too much in the last. He finally took bronze in 1.10.64. This is Nenzi’s third medal at the Winter Universiade Trentino 2013, after collecting silver in 500m and 1,500m.

Olympic Champ Sablikova wins Women’s 5,000m

Sablikova (gold), here on the women’s 3,000m podium

Martina Sablikova conquered the gold medal in the 5,000 m Speed Skating at the Winter Universiade Trentino 2013. On the Ice Rink of Baselga di Piné, the 26-year-old Czech Olympic Champion from Vancouver 2010 and long distance world record holder, raced like no other in the longest race of the Women’s programme. Her 7:05.17 minutes is the new Universiade Record; the previous was 7:14.72 and was established by Anna Natalia Rokita (AUT) in 2007, who finished seventh today.Sablikova, who is also gold medal winner in the 3,000 m at this Universiade’s edition, established also a new record of the Ice Rink Piné. The old one held since 2001 and was set by the German champion Gunda Niemann Stirnemann. Kim Bo Reum (KOR) won the silver medal finishing 12 seconds behind the Czech champion (7:17.82). It was her third medal after the gold one in the 1,500 m and the silver in the 3,000 m. The bronze medal went to Park Doyoung (KOR), who finished in 7:26.58 (+21”41).

“Setting such a time on this outdoor rink and improving a long-time existing record is really fantastic”, declared Martina Sablikova. “My condition on long distances is good, but I’m not skating well in the 500 m and 1,500 m. For this reason, I still don’t know if I will take part in the Allround European Championships in Hamar- My real target are the 2014 Olympic Games of Sochi.”

(Source WUTrentino2013)