2004
In this crucial year, when for the first time a 1000 men skated sub-40 500 meters, speedskating seems to have become really fashionable, and we have a new record of 35 participants: ARG, AUS, AUT, BEL, BLR, CAN, CHN, CZE, DEN, ESP, EST, FIN, GBR, GER, HUN, IRE, ITA, JAP, KAZ, KOR, LAT, MEX, MGL, NED, NOR, POL, POR, PRK, ROM, RUS, SER, SWE, SWI, UKR, USA. Thus we need a preliminary round of 3 matches. The 2nd round participants from last year, CZE, FIN, BLR, JAP, KOR, CAN, NED, ITA, USA, AUT, AUS, UKR, CHN, POL, RUS and GER, are exempt. The draw is: MEX-IRE, SWE-KAZ, POR-SWI. The results of the matches:
Mexico-Ireland 5-4, a win for Mexico!
Sweden-Kazakhstan 9-2
Portugal-Switzerland 0-11
The first round proper then consists of: ARG, AUS, AUT, BEL, BLR, CAN, CHN, CZE, DEN, ESP, EST, FIN, GBR, GER, HUN, ITA, JAP, KOR, LAT, MEX, MGL, NED, NOR, POL, PRK, ROM, RUS, SER, SWE, SWI, UKR, USA. The quarter-finalists from last year, CAN, CHN, NED, UKR, JAP, CZE, USA and RUS, are seeded and cannot be drawn against each other. Here is the draw: NOR-PRK, DEN-RUS, USA-SWI, AUT-MEX, ITA-SER, MGL-ARG, CHN-BEL, JAP-POL, AUS-UKR, GBR-BLR, CAN-FIN, SWE-GER, KOR-EST, LAT-ROM, ESP-NED, HUN-CZE. The matches:
Norway-North Korea 11-0
Denmark-Russia 0-11
USA-Switzerland 11-0
Austria-Mexico 11-0
Italy-Serbia 11-0
Mongolia-Argentina 9-0, tend to have lucky draws
China-Belgium 8-3
Japan-Poland 9-2, tend to have unlucky ones
Australia-Ukraine 4-7
Britain-Belarus 0-11
Canada-Finland 11-0
Sweden-Germany 2-9
South Korea-Estonia 11-0, but happily back after 65 years!
Latvia-Romania 0-11
Spain-Netherlands 0-11
Hungary-Czechia 3-7
Then the second round consists of: AUT, BLR, CAN, CHN, CZE, GER, ITA, JAP, KOR, MGL, NED, NOR, ROM, RUS, UKR, USA. The semi-finalists from last year, NED, JAP, CAN and USA, are seeded and cannot be drawn against each other. The draw: CHN-CAN, USA-ROM, UKR-NOR, NED-KOR, CZE-MGL, ITA-BLR, JAP-GER, AUT-RUS. The matches proceed as follows:
China-Canada 1-10
USA-Romania 11-0
Ukraine-Norway 0-11
Netherlands-South Korea 11-0
Czechia-Mongolia 10-0
Italy-Belarus 9-2
Japan-Germany 5-6, tough draw
Austria-Russia 0-11
The quarter-final consists of: CAN, CZE, GER, ITA, NED, NOR, RUS, USA. The finalists from last year, NED and CAN, are seeded and cannot be drawn against each other. The draw is as follows: CAN-GER, CZE-NOR, RUS-ITA, NED-USA. Results of the matches:
Canada-Germany 5-6
Czechia-Norway 2-9, first semi-final since 1996
Russia-Italy 7-4
Netherlands-USA 9-2, could have been a final
Semi-final draw: NED-RUS, NOR-GER. Matches:
Netherlands-Russia 10-1
Norway-Germany 4-7
Bronze final: Russia-Norway 8-3
FINAL: Netherlands -Germany
38,06- 38,26 (1-0) 1.15,49- 1.15,33 (1-1) 1.57,48- 1.57,15 (1-2) 4.04,58- 4.03,46 (1-3) 6.58,34- 7.01,66 (2-3) 34,59- 35,31 (3-3) 1.07,63- 1.09,35 (4-3) 1.44,98- 1.49,19 (5-3) 3.45,30- 3.53,23 (6-3) 6.19,94- 6.33,68 (7-3) 13.17,63-13.32,72 (8-3)
Final result 8-3
Statistics:
NOR GOLD 46x RUS GOLD 36x NED GOLD 16x FIN GOLD 4x JAP GOLD 3x SWE GOLD 2x GDR GOLD 2x GER GOLD 2x CAN GOLD 2003 AUT Silver 5x USA Silver 3x HUN Silver 2x CZE Silver 1955 CHN Silver 1965 LAT bronze 1940 GBR bronze 1949 PRK bronze 1963 ITA bronze 1991 SWI 4th 4x POL 4th 3x FRA 4th 2x DEN 4th 1912 BEL 4th 1946 KOR 4th 1982 KAZ 4th 1994 EST QF 5x ROM QF 2x UKR QF 2x LIT QF 1927 AUS QF 1974 POR 2R 2x BLR 2R 2x MGL 2R 2x NZL 1R 13x IRE 1R 11x YUG 1R 5x MEX 1R 4x ARG 1R 3x GRE 1R 2x BOS 1R 2x ESP 1R 2x ISV 1R 1972 IRN 1R 1993 PAN 1R 1995 RSA 1R 1998 HKG 1R 2003 SER 1R 2004 ISR PR 5x ICE PR 2x TPE PR 2x COL PR 1933