Speed skating: Duke after gold medal:”Dream has come true”.

The Tyrolean Vanessa Herzog has impressively confirmed her ascent to the world’s top speed skater on Friday with her first major general class title. The 22-year-old won the European Championship gold medal in Kolomna in 37.69 seconds over 500 metres. It is the first European Championship medal for Austria’s speed skating in 24 years, when Emese Hunyady won a bronze medal in Hamar.

The Olympic champion in 1994 also won the last red-white-red European Championship title in 1993 in Heerenveen. At that time, the Hungarian-born Hungarian had finished a 58-year-long break in the European Championship, but Herzog was now missing 19 days to a quarter of a century. For the first time in Kolomna, individual track European Championship titles will be awarded in a total of 14 competitions. So far there had only been all-around European Championships.

“I had a great start into the race and the final lap was really fast, even though I had two minor mistakes inside” The Innsbrucker had a false start at first, but in the duel with the Russian Angelina Golikowa she got away very well and lost only a tenth on the inner track.

“I’ve already beaten her four times in the World Cup and I didn’t want to lose her today,”Herzog explained. On the back straight, she sucked herself up to her opponent and distanced her from her opponent in the final lap by four tenths. Golikowa finally finished second in 38.04 seconds, bronze went to Czech Karolina Erbanova among 20 competitors in 38.18 seconds. In the men’s event, Ronald Mulder (NED/34.80) won ahead of Mika Poutala (FIN) and Pawel Kulischnikow (RUS/each 34.85).

It is the fifth European Championship title in speed skating for Austria and Austria respectively. the 15. Medal. At 22 years of age and 185 days old, Herzog is the sixth youngest European champion in the history of this sport. The Olympic participant can gain even more self-confidence for the February games in Pyeongchang in Kolomna. On Saturday over 1,000 m she is the second of the qualification list to be a medal candidate again, on Sunday in the mass start she is in the extended circle of candidates.