Two world records fell on the closing day of competition at the World Cup opener in Salt Lake City: the men's team pursuit, set by reigning world champion United States, and the women's 500m, broken by Dutch skater Femke Kok.

In the men's team pursuit competition, the American trio of Casey Dawson, Emery Lehman, and Ethan Cepuran beat their own mark, shaving over one second off the record they set at the same rink in 2024.

Moving almost perfectly in sync, the skaters flew around the ice, holding an average pace of 26.56 seconds. They completed the race in 3:32.49 — 2.71 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Norway. Their previous world record stood at 3:33.66.

Last season, Dawson, Lehman, and Cepuran raced to the country's fourth-straight overall World Cup title and the first world championship gold since 2011.

"Skating a world record on home ice — you know, it's amazing. We have the energy pulling us to the line," Dawson told US Speedskating after the race. "It was honestly one of the easier team pursuits we've skated because we have the energy pretty much just dragging us along, and it was great to do it with these two."

Kok — who finished her first 500m race just one-tenth of a second off the world record on the second day of competition — skated to the finish in 36.09 seconds for the win. The mark was 0.27 seconds faster than the one she broke, which had previously remained untouched since 2013.

American Erin Jackson, who was paired with Kok, also raced to a new best, snapping her own national record in the distance. Her second-place time of 36.57 seconds gave her a second silver medal for the weekend (she earned the first on Day 2, again finishing behind Kok).

Despite facing a slew of health issues — ranging from herniated discs to uterine fibroids — since 2023, Jackson has remained on top of her signature event at the World Cup level, skating to a third-straight overall title last season. But Kok has remained her biggest challenger over the same three year period, earning back-to-back-to-back world titles in the distance. Last season, the skaters also finished 1-2, with Jackson in the lead.

"It feels nice to finally hit those speeds again. It's really exciting," Jackson told US Speedskating. "It's also cool to see the world record fall. Of course, I wish it could've been me who broke it, but it's also nice to see the progression in the field, so it's a really cool thing."

The United States snagged medals in two other events, bringing the country's weekend total to eight. 

Brittany Bowe, Greta Myers, and Mia Manganello finished third in the women's team pursuit, setting a new national record (2:54.01) in the process. They shaved over three seconds off the previous mark, which Bowe also helped set in 2013.

Japan, led by Miho Takagi, raced to the top of the podium. For both Bowe and Takagi, who are longstanding giants in the 1000m and 1500m, the performances delivered their first medals of the season.

Later, Manganello grabbed gold in the women's mass start — her first-ever individual top prize on the World Cup level. After hanging back in fourth place through the majority of the race, Manganello turned up the heat on lap 15, sprinting to the front of the pack and crossing the finish line first.

The 36-year-old finished second overall in the event last season.

Jordan Stolz finished just off the podium in the men's 500m, his 33.79-second effort landing one one-hundredth of a second behind bronze medalist Kim Jun-Ho. Stolz's biggest rival, the Netherlands' Jenning de Boo, was just 0.02 seconds off the world record in his win.

Stolz also raced the mass start — an event in which he hadn't competed on the World Cup level since 2021 — in an attempt to expand his portfolio for the 2026 Winter Olympics. He placed 15th out of 24 skaters.

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 for the Olympic roster. Team pursuit skaters also are required to qualify in an individual distance before they can be named to the Olympic team pursuit roster.

Additionally, the number of Olympic quota spots each country will receive will not be released until Dec. 19.

The second leg of the World Cup will take place Nov. 21-23 in Calgary, Canada.

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