HEERENVEEN, Netherlands, March 8 (Reuters) - Norway celebrated a golden double on Sunday as Sander Eitrem surged past American defending champion Jordan Stolz to win the men's all-round title, while Ragne Wiklund became the first Norwegian woman in 88 years to capture the women's crown at the ISU Speed Skating World Championships in Heerenveen.
The finale closed four days of high-intensity skating inside a packed Thialf arena, where Dutch sprint triumphs from Jenning de Boo and Femke Kok on Friday had set a feverish backdrop for the all-round showdowns.
The all-round championship, one of speed skating's most prestigious prizes, tests skaters across a punishing sequence of sprint and endurance distances: 500 metres, 3,000m, 1,500m and 5,000m for women, and 500m, 5,000m, 1,500m and 10,000m for men.
DEVASTATING EITREM OVERHAULS STOLZ
In the men's field, Stolz had carried the overall lead into the final day after winning the 500m and delivering a resilient 5,000m on Saturday, even as Eitrem shattered the Thialf track record over the longer distance. But the 21-year-old American's advantage evaporated over the final two distances on Sunday.
Eitrem, the 5,000m Olympic champion and world record holder, was second-fastest behind Stolz in the 1,500m before unleashing a devastating 10,000m. Skating with Stolz in the final pair of the 10,000m, Eitrem's superior endurance eventually saw him lap Stolz - a rare moment for the Olympic 500m and 1,000m champion.
Stolz, who had also contested all four sprint races earlier in the week, ran out of gas. Visibly exhausted, he fought to the finish but slipped to fourth overall.
Eitrem crossed the line with his arms spread wide, his coach erupting in celebration as the arena roared.
Czech teenager and Olympic 10,000m champion Metodej Jilek claimed silver, while Poland's Vladimir Semirunniy secured bronze.
WIKLUND RISES AS TAKAGI BOWS OUT
Wiklund, 25, had shared the overnight lead with Japanese great Miho Takagi after a commanding 3,000m victory on Saturday. On Sunday, she strengthened her position by going third-fastest in the 1,500m before delivering the performance of the weekend in the 5,000m.
Skating in the final pair with Takagi - Japan's most decorated Winter Olympian with 10 medals and competing in the final competition of her career - Wiklund relied on her long-distance pedigree to pull away steadily.
As she crossed the line, Wiklund - who won silver in the 1,500m and 3,000m and bronze in the 5,000m at the Milano Cortina Games - broke into a smile, draping the Norwegian flag around her shoulders.
Dutchwoman Marijke Groenewoud, the Olympic mass-start champion, took silver, while the 31-year-old Takagi added a final flourish to her career by securing bronze.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in BengaluruEditing by Toby Davis)
