Dutch racer Schulting won a surprise title over 1,000 metres at Pyeongchang 2018 in February and took the 1,500m honours today at the opening event of the campaign in the Canadian city.

"I was a little nervous before this competition because I want to show the world that I'm not only able to win gold at the Olympics, but I can do it at the World Cups, World Championships and Europeans," she said.

"I had a kind of busy summer. 

"Holland was exploding when I came home from Pyeongchang and I had so much attention. 

"But I've been able to train well, and I did quite a good job with the tactics in the final here. 

"It was a little tough at the end, and I was slightly worried I was going to get a penalty at first, but I was in the right positions at all times."

There was a positive sign for Canada as Courtney Lee Sarault won silver at the Calgary Olympic Oval while making her World Cup debut.

Russian Ekaterina Efremenkova won the bronze medal. 

China's Olympic 500m champion Wu proved too strong as he came home over Hungary's Shaoang Liu and South Korea's Kim Gun Woo respectively.

"It feels so good to be a champion again," said Wu, who came close to breaking the world record yesterday.

"I went out hard at the start, and I knew they wouldn't be able to catch me."

In the men's 1,500m, Japan's 19-year-old Kazuki Yoshinaga claimed the biggest win of his career as June Seo Lee of South Korea took silver and Israel's Vladislav Bykanov the bronze.

Poland's Natalia Maliszewska claimed the women's 500m title with Dutch skater Yara van Kerkhof coming home for an emotional silver.

It was her first race since the ISU and World Anti-Doping Agency had accepted her explanation for suspicious blood tests conducted between December 2015 and March 2016.

Van Kerkhof suffers from a congenital heart defect which was said to have contributed to the abnormal readings.

"It means a lot to have won this medal," she said.

"I was sitting in the heat box before the final thinking how cool would it be to win something now after everything."

Alyson Charles of Canada, another making her World Cup debut for the host nation, bagged the bronze. 

Competition will conclude in Calgary tomorrow.

Winter sports are currently a big talking point in the city, with a plebiscite on a potential 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic bid due for November 13.