Japanese skater Yuto Tanigaki clinched the men’s mass start title, while teammate Yuka Takahashi claimed the women’s crown on the last day of The Lake Placid 2022 FISU World University Championship Speed Skating. Japan also won the overall medal count.

“I worked with my teammate Kota Mitsui, who basically skated in front of me the whole time to help me save energy,” said Tanigaki.

“The whole strategy was to get me gold at the end. So, he did his job really well and I got the win because of that.”

In the other race of the day, the German pair of Lea-Sophie Scholz and Michael Roth earned the mixed team relay gold medal.

Japan won eight medals (four gold, three silver and one bronze), followed with Germany (three gold, three silver and one bronze) and the Netherlands (one gold, three silver and four bronze) at seven.

The United States had won only two medals in the five previous FISU Championship events. Team USA leaves Lake Placid with six. Their medal count includes three gold and three bronze medals.

Many of the student-athletes who participated in this event will return to Lake Placid to be a part of the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games (January 12-22, 2023)

All the results at a glance:

1,000m – Women: 1. TAKAHASHI Yuka JPN (picture above) ; 2. SCHOLZ Lea-Sophie GER ; 3. DE VISSER Ju-Lin NED

1,000m – Men: 1. MCDERMOTT-MOSTOWY Conor USA ; 2. MITSUI Kota JPN ; 3. GEBAUER William USA

3,000m – Women:  1. ANTOSOVA Veronika CZE ; 2. SJOBREND Julie Berg NOR ; 3. STAEHLE Thalia USA

5,000m – Men:  1. PETZOLD Fridtjof GER ; 2. ERIKSEN Daniel Thuv NOR ; 3. HEINE Luc NED

1,500m – Women: 1. SCHOLZ Lea-Sophie GER ; 2. TAKAHASHI Yuka JPN ; 3. ANTOSOVA Veronika CZE

1,500m – Men:  1. MITSUI Kota JPN ; 2. ROTH Michael GER ; 3. HEINE Luc NED

500m – Women: 1. DE VISSER Ju-Lin NED ; 2. DE VRIES Henny NED ; 3. SCHOLZ Lea-Sophie GER

500m – men: 1. GEBAUER William USA (picture on the right) ; 2. MITSUI Kota JPN ;  3. MCDERMOTT-MOSTOWY Conor USA

Women’s Team Pursuit: 1. Poland (PLONCZYK Maja, WOJTASIK Iga, JABRZYK Natalia) ; 2. The Netherlands (VAN DER SPEK Marije, VAN DER ZEE Nikki, DE VISSER Ju-Lin) ; 3. USA (SHOBE Ilsa, QUINN Anna, STAEHLE Thalia)

Men’s Team Pursuit: 1. Poland (PALKA Szymon, BURZYKOWSKI Dawid, NALECKI Piotr) ; 2. Norway (NORDAL Didrik Moller, ERIKSEN Daniel Thuv, REFSAAS Birk Finnsto) ; 3. The Netherlands (HEINE Luc, BRINK Joris, PRONK Matthe)

Mixed Team Relay: 1. Germany (SCHOLZ Lea-Sophie, ROTH Michael) ; 2. Hungary (MERCS Abigel, BEJCZI Botond) ;  3. Poland (WOJTASIK Iga, BURZYKOWSKI Dawid)

Women’s Mass Start: 1. TAKAHASHI Yuka JPN ; 2. HEIMERL Josephine GER ; 3. MERCS Abigel HUN

Men’s Mass start: 1. TANIGAKI Yuto JPN ;  2. PRONK Matthe NED ; 3. MITSUI Kota JPN

For more information about the Lake Placid 2022 FISU World University Championship Speed Skating, visit www.wucspeedskating2022.com.

For more information about the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games, go to www.lakeplacid2023.com.

ARTICLE WRITTEN BY JON LUNDIN, EDITED BY OLIVIER VAN BOGAERT