Skater Kjeld Nuis was disappointed that he just missed his third world title in the 1500 meters. With 1.43.82 he was 0.23 seconds behind the American Jordan Stolz, who won his third world title at this World Cup in Heerenveen. The reigning Olympic champion thought for a long time that he was going to win, but turned out to be just above Stolz’s time when he crossed the finish line.
“I’m really disappointed. It was a good ride and I was comfortable in it,” the 33-year-old South Hollander looked back. “I heard until the last corner that the public was completely behind me and even saw green numbers. I thought I was under it. However, in the last 80 meters I let it go.”
Nuis was beaten by the American teenager who achieved a historic achievement by taking the world titles in three individual distances. The Reggeborgh skater himself mainly looked at the minimal difference, after Stolz had been almost a second faster in the 1000 meters a day earlier. “I try everything and I’m beaten on value,” he said. “If it’s such a small difference, then you think, this could have been possible. I wouldn’t have thought that yesterday. But it doesn’t make it any less sour. Maybe I would have preferred to lose by half a second.”
Source: ANP
