Davide Ghiotto of Vicenza, Italy made sports history at the Olympic Oval in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on Saturday when he set the World Record in the men’s 10 ooo metres at a World Cup event with a time of 12:25.69. Ghiotto is the reigning Olympic bronze medalist in the men’s 10 000 metres, and has won the last two gold medals at the World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships.
What was Ghiotto’s World Record time?
Ghiotto had a world record time in the men’s 10 000 metres. The previous world record was set by Nils van der Poel of Sweden, who had a time of 12:30.74 at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing on February 11, 2022.
Ghiotto’s World Cup Gold Medal in Calgary
Ghiotto reached the podium by 13.65 seconds. Beau Snellink of the Netherlands finished in fourth place with a time of 12:39.34. Metodej Jilek of the Czech Republic won the silver medal with a time of 12:37.81. Sander Eitrem of Norway won the bronze medal with a time of 12:38.04. It should be noted that this was the only men’s 10 000 metre World Cup event of the entire season. The men’s 10 000 metres at the World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships will take place on March 16.
Ghiotto’s reaction
Ghiotto has been dreaming of setting a world record for three years. He broke the world record on Saturday by 5.05 seconds at the age of 31. Interestingly, when Ghiotto won the gold medal in the men’s 10 000 metres at the 2024 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships, it was also in Calgary. In an interview, I asked Ghiotto what he learned from the race at the 2024 World Speed Skating Championships that helped him set the world record at the 2025 World Cup.
“It’s a different race,” Ghiotto explained. One must realize the timing of the events as last year’s World Championship was at the end of the season, while the World Cup on Saturday was in the middle.
When asked how excited Ghiotto is about competing for Italy at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan/Cortina d’Ampezzo, he stated the following. “I’m one year older next year, and I want to try to defend my third position from Beijing, and work a lot for this distance.”
Photo Courtesy: Bjarte Hetland (Wikimedia Commons)
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