Essent ISU World Cup Speed Skating – Astana (KAZ) – Day 3
On the last day of the Essent ISU World Cup in Astana track records were set in the the 1000m for Ladies. There were 10 personal best times.
Ladies’ 1000m
Half of the skaters ranked among the top ten were missing from the 1000m for Ladies, but the best two skaters were present and performed well.
Heather Richardson (USA) this time beat her team-mate Brittany Bowe and both were faster than the track record that Nesbitt (CAN) had set last year at 1:14.82. Richardson reached 1:14.22 and Bowe 1:14.78.
Nobody else was inside 1:15 and only three other skaters were below 1:16. Julia Skokova (RUS) did well with 1:15.66 on her 31st birthday, Sang-Hwa Lee (KOR) with 1:15.70 was outside that, although she was the fastest in the first 600 meters, and the bronze medal was taken away from Skokova by her team-mate, the world champion at this distance Olga Fatkulina, who finished in 1:15.18.
Richardson made Astana the second fastest lowland rink; she was faster once at low altitude, in Milwaukee. In the World Cup Richardson leads with 280 points, Bowe follows with 250, and Fatkulina moved up to third place with 180 points.
Next week the last Essent ISU World Cup of 2013 will be held in Berlin (GER).
Essent ISU World Cup Speed Skating - Astana (KAZ) - Medal Winners Sunday
1000m Ladies
| 1 | Heather Richardson | USA | 1:14.22 TR |
| 2 | Brittany Bowe | USA | 1:14.78 |
| 3 | Olga Fatkulina | RUS | 1:15.18 |
