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2007 World Allround Speed Skating Championships

World Allround Speed Skating Championships
WCh Allround 2007.jpg
Thialf (Heerenveen)
Location Heerenveen, Netherlands
Venue Thialf
Dates 9–11 February 2007
Competitors 48
Medalist men
1st, gold medalist(s) Sven Kramer  NED
2nd, silver medalist(s) Enrico Fabris  ITA
3rd, bronze medalist(s) Carl Verheijen  NED
Medalist women
1st, gold medalist(s) Ireen Wüst  NED
2nd, silver medalist(s) Anni Friesinger  GER
3rd, bronze medalist(s) Cindy Klassen  CAN
1st, gold medalist(s) Sven Kramer  NED
2nd, silver medalist(s) Enrico Fabris  ITA
3rd, bronze medalist(s) Carl Verheijen  NED
1st, gold medalist(s) Ireen Wüst  NED
2nd, silver medalist(s) Anni Friesinger  GER
3rd, bronze medalist(s) Cindy Klassen  CAN

The 2007 World Allround Speed Skating Championships were held in the indoor arena Thialf in Heerenveen, Netherlands on 9–11 February 2007. The Championships were three-day allround events, with the skaters completing four distances before the final championship standings are determined based on the samalog system. The organising body, the Koninklijke Nederlandsche Schaatsenrijders Bond (KNSB), celebrated its 125-year anniversary with full stands on all three days.

Athletes from the host country, the Netherlands, won both the men's and the women's event; Sven Kramer set a world record on the men's 10,000 metres on his way to the European and World Allround double, while Ireen Wüst won by nearly two points after being narrowly beaten by Martina Sáblíková at the European Championships. For the first time since 1979, the male and female World Champion came from the same country. Defending champion Shani Davis finished sixth after losing time on the two longest distances, while former sprint World Champion Erben Wennemars debuted at the World Allround Championships with a fifth place. Last year's female champion, Cindy Klassen, finished third, a quarter of a point behind Anni Friesinger, who did not compete in 2006.

World Championships debutant Wennemars won from the last pair, just ahead of Morrison (silver in 2006) and Davis (gold in 2006). European Champion Kramer, who won the bronze medal in 2006, finished fifth, more than a second closer to the lead than in 2006, after setting a new personal best time of 36.41. From the fourth of twelve pairs, 2004 champion Hedrick took the lead with his time of 36.77, but still finished twelfth, nine places down from 2006.

In 2006, Kramer had won this distance by a hundredth of a second over Hedrick, and half a second over fourth-placed Davis. Now, Kramer was dominant, clocking a time which Verheijen in the final pair could only come within four seconds of. Davis finished 14 seconds adrift, falling down to third in the overall standings after the first day, while Fabris in second had also lost to Kramer compared to 2006. Ervik, distance fifth in 2006 only a couple of seconds behind Kramer, opened at 1500-metre pace and slowed down considerably, falling all the way down to ninth.


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