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Speed/Short Track Skating - 17. March 2014.

Essent ISU World Cup Speed Skating Final – Heerenveen (NED) Day 3



The Essent ISU World Cup Final concluded at the Thialf Stadion, Heerenveen on Sunday with American skater Heather Richardson winning the Ladies Grand World Cup title.

For the third year in the history of the World Cup speed skating series a special prize from Essent and US$20,000 was awarded to the lady and the man who had accumulated the highest number of points throughout the season to be crowned Grand World Cup winner.

For each competition in the individual distances the top five ranked competitors earned Grand World Cup points, and the overall honours went to Richardson and Davis with 108.25 and 95.50 points respectively.

 

 

500m Ladies

 

This was the last race for Jenny Wolf (GER), who won the World Cup over this distance for six years in a row from 2006 to 2011. She skated in the penultimate pair, with Nao Kodaira (JPN), and although she has opened faster in the past her 10.37sec opener was still the second fastest. She followed it with a strong 27.6 lap, leading to a time of 38.00, exactly one second outside her personal best, skated at Salt Lake City in December 2009, a time that stood as the world record until January 2012.

 

She had skated her first world record in March 2007 but now, aged 35, Wolf says she is looking forward to the future. “I was nervous because I wanted to go out with a good race. It went super. I am a bit sad, but the joy prevails. As a child I had never dreamed of the career I had. On 1 June my husband and I will move to Canada [Toronto] for a year as he got a job there.”

 

Her 38.00 was good enough for the podium, but not quite enough for her 50th World Cup win. Olga Fatkulina took the victory, beating Richardson in the last pair. The two were level on points after Saturday’s racing, and on Sunday Fatkulina opened in 10.50. Richardson clocked 10.61 but Fatkulina never gave up the lead, crossing the finish line in 37.86 and raising her hands. Richardson, with 38.05, conceded second place to Wolf.

 

Richardson said: “I can’t feel sad that I lost. I am actually happy with second place. The 500 wasn’t my distance, and it was only because Sang-Hwa Lee (KOR) and Beixing Wang (CHN) weren’t skating last week that I climbed up the rankings, but honestly I don’t know what rank I was in. After what happened at the Olympic Games I am just happy to finish strongly.”

 

Fatkulina said: “I have no particular love for the 500 above the 1000 or the other way around. I think I am better this year in the 500m because the older ladies like Wolf weren’t so strong this year. And of course I should thank Lee for not starting this week and last.”

 

 

1000m Ladies

 

In the absence of Olympic champion Hong Zhang (CHN), Sochi silver medalist Ireen Wüst (NED) won in a new track record time of 1:14.63, beating the old mark of 1:15.01. Margot Boer (NED), bronze medalist in Sochi, also dipped below 1:15 with 1:14.92. However, the top two skaters in the overall World Cup rankings are both from the USA, with Richardson leading from Brittany Bowe (USA), and that didn’t change even though Bowe was the faster on Sunday. She finished fourth in 1:15.10, just behind Lotte van Beek (NED) who had clocked 1:15.09. Richardson finished in fifth while Fatkulina was only ninth. It was enough for Richardson to win the World Cup with 555 points, ahead of Bowe who had 500 and Fatkulina with 352 points.

 

Bowe said: “I gave it my all, I am disappointed that I am not on the podium in this race, but I am happy the season is over.” Boer added: “It was super, I am not sharp in the opener, but otherwise I enjoyed the skate and am happy with such a good finish to a beautiful season.”

Wüst, who now heads to the World Allround Speed Skating Championships here next weekend, said: “I thought 1:14.8 was possible today, but 1:14.6 is pretty much below the old track record. Everything seems to be going my way. I am really in shape, and I have to be careful to keep it until next week. I have to spend a lot of time on my bed. All my colleagues are teasing me that they can go home, but next week I want to have my party to make them jealous.”

 

 

 

Team Pursuit

 

The Team Pursuit was won by the Olympic champions, the Dutch, who improved the track record to 2:59.65 (without Wüst this time). Sochi silver medalists Poland were second again in 3:01.45. The Japanese, fourth in Sochi, took third place with 3:04.38, keeping the Canadians (3:04.81) behind them. The Dutch won the World Cup with 450 points, Poland were second on 315 and Japan third with 285.

 

The Allround skaters will stay in Heerenveen for the World Allround Championships next weekend, 22-23 March.

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