A Strong Finish In Milan Boosts Kristen Santos-Griswold to First Crystal Globe
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by Paul D. Bowker
Kristen Santos-Griswold capped off the ISU Short Track World Tour with three podium finishes to claim her first Crystal Globe over the weekend in Milan, Italy.
The 2022 Olympian won the Women’s 500m and 1000m while finishing second in the 1500m to clinch the championship. Teammate Corinne Stoddard, who won a Silver medal in the 1000m, placed third in the Crystal Globe standings.
Santos-Griswold becomes only the third American to win the prestigious title, joining three-time champ Apolo Ohno and Katherine Reutter.
“I’m over the moon that I got it done,” said Santos-Griswold, who also won the season 500m championship.
Santos-Griswold finished off her championship run by making a move with two laps to go in the 500m that sent her from third place and into first place ahead of two-time Olympic champion Arianna Fontana of Italy and Netherlands Olympic gold medalist Xandra Velzeboer.
Santos-Griswold, who captured four Gold medals among her nine individual podiums in six World Tour stops, won the Crystal Globe with 1,120 points. Stoddard, who also won nine individual medals, placed third in the Crystal Globe standings with 948 points. She trailed Velzeboer by just two points.
The dramatics came on the ice that will be used for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, a competition that Santos-Griswold is already thinking about.
“Kick some butt, have fun and just enjoy the moment and the ride there,” she said.
Santos-Griswold nearly retired following a fourth-place finish in the 1000m in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, but she has risen to the top the last two years. However, progress hasn’t always been linear. After finishing as the runner-up in last year’s Crystal Globe race, Santos-Griswold overcame a series of crashes early this season to break through for the championship.
“Honestly, I didn’t really think that it was possible,” Santos-Griswold said. “Not only in general, but especially after this year, there’s been a lot of ups and downs.
“To come out on top is really special,” she added. “It’s been a mentally challenging year, physically challenging year. I’m really excited to go into next season with No. 1 on my helmet.”
Santos-Griswold led a one-two American finish in the 1000m on Saturday, winning in a time of 1:29.320 and in a fashion that clearly illustrated the teamwork she shares with Stoddard. A crash among other racers left Santos-Griswold and Stoddard alone at the front.
“We spoke before the race, and we wanted to work together from the front and take over, switch between us leading,” Stoddard said. “After the crash happened, we just took half the race each.”
At the finish, Santos-Griswold was in front, but by just .125 seconds.
“I thought about (chasing Santos-Griswold) for a split second, but then I thought, one and two is good, no matter who it is,” Stoddard said. “It is better for the team. If I go for a pass, then we bump or get a penalty, that’s not good. I’d rather take a Silver than take a teammate out. So we kept it chilled.”
“I’m lucky to have such a great team behind me,” Santos-Griswold said after clinching the Crystal Globe on Sunday. “Corie’s one of my best friends and one of my biggest competitors and someone that pushes me every day at practice.”
Sunday, Santos-Griswold won the 500m in 42.558 seconds for her fourth Gold medal of the season. She also finished runner-up to Hanne Desmet of Belgium in the 1500m to win Silver.
Julie Letai and Louisiana Stahl teamed up with Marcus Howard and Sean Shuai for a third-place finish in the Mixed Relay B Final.
Andrew Heo had the top finish among the men, placing fifth in the 1500m B Final.
The short trackers now have a month to prepare for the ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships, which returns to Olympic ice in Beijing on March 14-16.
Paul D. Bowker has been writing about Olympic and Paralympic sports since 1996, when he was an assistant bureau chief in Atlanta. He is a freelance contributor to USSpeedskating.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
