Vladimir Semirunniy, a former Russian speed skating champion now competing for Poland, earned two of the medals for Team Poland.
On Sunday, the 22-year-old secured silver in the men's 10000 metres, setting a personal best of 12:49.93—significantly faster than the Polish national record of 13:19.73 set by Paweł Zygmunt in 2005.
However, Semirunniy does not yet hold Polish citizenship, so his time cannot be officially recognised as a national record.
Semirunniy, who switched his international allegiance and made his Polish national team debut earlier this year, also claimed bronze in the men's 5,000 metres in Hamar on Thursday.
His achievement marks just the second individual non-sprint medal for Polish speed skaters at the world championships, after Damian Żurek’s bronze in the men’s 500m last year in Calgary.
Semirunniy, who fled to Poland in 2023 and has publicly condemned Russia's war in Ukraine, expressed his hopes for Polish citizenship.
"I dream of obtaining Polish citizenship and being able to represent Poland at the Olympic Games," he said. "But at this point, it's out of my hands. Only results matter, and they are good. I hope this helps me earn citizenship."
Poland’s third medal came in the women’s team sprint, with Karolina Bosiek, Andżelika Wójcik and Kaja Ziomek-Nogal securing bronze.
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Source: IAR, PAP