The 2025-26 ISU Speed Skating World Cup opened with a bang, as one world record and two American national records fell on just the first day of the five-leg competition circuit.

Held at the Olympic Oval in Salt Lake City, Utah — the fastest ice on earth — the day marked the beginning of a month-long competition period in which countries will compete for quota spots for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Athletes only can earn those quota spots through the first four World Cups.

American skater Greta Myers notched the first American record of the day, skating to a new best time of 4:01.66 in the women's 3000m Group B competition. 

In the men's 5000m, France's Timothy Loubineaud shaved one-and-a-half seconds off the world record set by Swedish speed skating giant Nils van der Poel at the rink in Salt Lake City in December 2021. Loubineaud, 29, raced the distance in 6:00.23 for the win.

Shortly after, American Casey Dawson broke his own national record in the event, cutting three-and-a-half seconds off the mark he set last season. His time of 6:04.40 put him just over one second off the podium.

A key piece of the American men's team pursuit trio, the 25-year-old Dawson also excels in the individual long distance races. Last season, on top of the national-best time he recorded in the 5000m, he shattered the American record in the 10,000m, cutting nine seconds off the mark held by Olympian Chad Hedrick for almost 20 years. He opened his 2025-26 campaign by earning national titles in the 5000m and 10,000m, as well as breaking the national record in the 3000m.

Jordan Stolz took the ice in the last event of the evening, racing in the first of his three signature distances, the men's 1000m. His winning time of 1:05.66 just was three-tenths of a second off his world record, marking the United States' only medal of the evening.

The 21-year-old American phenom dominated last year's circuit, skating to an unprecedented 18-straight World Cup victories, clinching the overall titles in three distances, and setting three sea-level world records by astonishing margins at his home oval in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In the 1000m alone, he won every race in which he competed.

His fiercest rival, the Netherlands' Jenning de Boo, finished third.

The Dutch dominated the women's 1000m, with Jutta Leerdam and Femke Kok taking gold and silver, respectively. 

Americans Brittany Bowe and Erin Jackson both finished off the podium. Bowe, who owns the world record in the distance, came in 5th. Despite being forced to pull back on her 1000m training over the last two seasons due to a series of health issues beginning in 2023, Jackson raced a personal best 1:13.72 for 8th place.

Six hours before the women's 1000m began, Miho Takagi — who stands as the reigning World Cup, Olympic, and world champion in the sprint — elected to skip the race, skating in the 3000m Group B competition instead to fine-tune her form.

Another Dutch skater, Joy Beune, won the women's 3000m, beating runner-up Valerie Maltais by almost three seconds for the season's first gold medal. Norway's Ragne Wiklund, who won the overall World Cup title in the distance last season, came in third.

American skaters may earn an Olympic berth in two ways at World Cup competitions:

• Earn a medal at the 2025 ISU World Single Distances Championships AND place in the top five at any two of the first four World Cups in the same distance
• Finish in the top three at any two of the first four World Cups in the same distance

However, those pre-qualified skaters also must compete in the same distance at Olympic Trials January 2-6, 2026, in order to remain eligible to compete at the Olympics. Additionally, the number of quota spots each country will receive will not be released until Dec. 19.

The three-day World Cup opener continues Saturday, Nov. 15, with the first men's and women's 500m, as well as the men's and women's 1500m.

Below are the full results of the first day of competition: