Ning Zhongyan, Lian Ziwen strike gold for China at Speed Skating World Cup in Beijing

China's Ning Zhongyan completed a golden double at the season-opening ISU Speed Skating World Cup in Beijing on Saturday, winning the men's 1,500 meters after compatriot Lian Ziwen captured his first individual World Cup title in the men's 500 meters.

Ning, who had triumphed in the 1,000 meters on Friday, put together another commanding performance at the National Speed Skating Oval, clocking one minute 43.64 seconds to finish 1.18 seconds ahead of Norway's Sander Eitrem. Czechia's Metodej Jilek, winner of Friday's 5,000 meters, took bronze in 1:44.91.

The Chinese Olympic champion said his victory in the 1,000 meters had strengthened his confidence, allowing him to approach the 1,500 meters with a greater sense of control.

Ning, who defeated American star Jordan Stolz to win gold in the 1,500 meters at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics earlier this year, also expressed his eagerness to renew their rivalry at one of the upcoming World Cup stops.

Earlier, Lian produced a breakthrough performance in the men's 500 meters, stopping the clock at 34.64 seconds to edge Stefan Westenbroek of the Netherlands by seven hundredths of a second.

China's Gao Tingyu, the Olympic champion from Beijing 2022, finished third in 34.80 seconds, giving the host nation two athletes on one podium.

Lian's victory came just one day after he earned his first individual World Cup medal with bronze in the 1,000 meters. The Chinese skater then revealed that he had focused on executing his technique, rather than worrying about the result.

Gao, meanwhile, said he was pleased with his bronze medal despite estimating that he had recovered only around 60 percent of his peak form.

China added another bronze in the women's 1,500 meters through Han Mei, who finished in 1:56.40. Norway's Ragne Wiklund clinched her second gold of the weekend in 1:53.84, ahead of Dutch skater Joy Beune in 1:55.16.

The Netherlands dominated the women's 500 meters, sweeping all three medals. Angel Daleman claimed gold in 37.37 seconds, followed by compatriots Femke Kok in 37.49 and Suzanne Schulting in 37.70.

Daleman's victory also marked her second title in Beijing after winning Friday's 1,000 meters.