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Sunday, 17 January 2010

Today, Sang-Hwa Lee and Kyou-Hyuk Lee were crowned world champions at the World Sprint Championships in Obihiro.

In the women’s 500m, Jenny Wolf finished first in 38.24, second was Sang-Hwa Lee in 38.37, and the third time was skated by Shuang Zhang (38.68). In the men’s 500m, Kang-Seok Lee claimed the gold medal with his 35.11, Kyou-Hyuk Lee came in second with 35.17, and Keiichiro Nagashima finished third in 35.19.

The women’s 1000m saw a victory for Sayuri Yoshii (1:17.08), the silver medal was for Yekaterina Malysheva (1:17.50), and Nao Kodaira finished third (1:17.99). On the men’s side Kyou-Hyuk Lee finished first in the 1000m (1:09.60), Lars Elgersma crossed the finish line after 1:09.73 for a second-place finish, and the bronze medal was for Ronald Mulder (1:10.36).

Overall, Sang-Hwa Lee and Kyou-Hyuk Lee finished first, Sayuri Yoshii and Kang-Seok Lee were second, and Jenny Wolf and Keiichiro Nagashima came in third.

For complete results see here.

Saturday, 16 January 2010

After the first day of the World Sprint Championships in Obihiro, Japan, Sang-Hwa Lee and Kyou-Hyuk Lee are taking the overall lead.

In the women’s 500m, Sang-Hwa Lee finished first in 38.19, Jenny Wolf came in second (38.31), and the bronze medal was for Sayuri Yoshii (38.74). On the men’s side, Keiichiro Nagashima raced to the fastest time (35.01), while Kang-Seok Lee needed .14 more for a second-place finish (35.15). Kyou-Hyuk Lee was third in 35.22.

In the women’s 1000m, Sayuri Yoshii claimed another medal, and this time its color was golden (1:17.26). Monique Angermüller, disqualified in the 500m, came in second in 1:17.59, and Nao Kodaira finished third (1:17.64). In the men’s 1000m, Kyou-Hyuk Lee added a gold medal to his bronze in the 500m (1:09.44), Beorn Nijenhuis claimed the silver medal (1:09.73) and the bronze medal was for Samuel Schwarz (1:10.20).

For complete results see here.

Sunday, 10 January 2010

Today, Sven Kramer was crowned European Champion for a record-breaking fourth time in a row after finishing second in the 1500m and first in the 10k. Martina Sablikova finished first overall on the women’s side with a bronze medal in the 1500m and a gold one in the 5000m.

In the women’s 1500m, Ireen Wüst crossed the finish line after 1:59.08, which earned her the gold medal in this distance. Second was Daniela Anschütz Thoms (1:59.57), and Martina Sablikova finished third in 1:59.75.

Next up was the men’s 1500m, which saw an exciting last race with Sven Kramer and Enrico Fabris being paired together. Fabris finished first in 1:46.37, where Kramer needed 1:47.05 to claim the silver medal. Ivan Skobrev took the bronze with his 1:47.82.

Martina Sablikova was superior in the last event of the women’s competition, the 5000m. She was the only woman capable of finishing the distance sub 7 minutes and crossed the finish line after 6:59.44. Second was Stephanie Beckert in 7:04.55 and the bronze medal was for Daniela Anschütz Thoms (7:12.02).

And finally, Sven Kramer finished first in the men’s 10k (13:19.32). The silver medal in this distance was for Alexis Contin (13:25.77), and Enrico Fabris finished third (13.28.72).

Overall, Martina Sablikova was crowned European Champion for the second time, Ireen Wüst was second, and Daniela Anschütz Thoms was third. On the men’s side Sven Kramer finished first for the fourth time in a row, which is a new record. Enrico Fabris claimed the silver medal, and the bronze medal was for Ivan Skobrev.

Saturday, 9 January 2010

After the last races on the first day of the European All-round Championships Martina Sablikova and Sven Kramer are taking the lead with strong performances in respectively the 3000m and 5000m.

In the first distance of the day, the women’s 500m, Karolina Erbanova finished first in 39.54, the silver medal was for Yekaterina Shikhova (39.56), and Hege Bøkko skated the third time (39.76).

In the men’s 500m, Konrad Niedzwiedzki claimed the gold medal with his 36.07. Second was Matteo Anesi (36.52), and the bronze was for Daniel Friberg (36.56). Håvard Bøkko, one of the skaters thought to be capable of putting up a fight against three-times-in-a-row European Champion Sven Kramer, fell in the second corner of his 500m and had to withdraw from the competition.

Martina Sablikova reigned in the women’s 3000m when she finished in 4:03.09. Ireen Wüst needed a couple of seconds more to complete the distance (4:08.40), and Stephanie Beckert finished third in 4:08.76.

In the men’s 5000m, Sven Kramer’s 6:19.78 was good enough for the gold medal. Second was Enrico Fabris in 6:22.44, and Alexis Contin finished third in 6:25.70.

For video material click here.

For complete results see here.

Saturday, 2 January 2010

On the fifth and final day of the Canadian Single Distances Championships/Olympic Trials, Kristina Groves claimed another gold medal, this time in the 5000m, and Keith Sulzer finished first in the 10k.

After her gold medals in the 1000m and 1500m earlier this week, Kristina Groves also finished first in today’s 5000m. She crossed the finish line after 7:00.72. The silver medal was for Cindy Klassen (7:06.42), and Nicole Garrido claimed the bronze (7:11.86). Clara Hughes was already prequalified for the 5000m and did not skate today, while Brittany Schussler did not skate either due to illness. Schussler is the third best Canadian in the World Cup long distance ranking, behind Groves and Hughes, but ahead of Klassen, and requested a bye to get the third spot to race the 5000m at the Olympics.

“I had an okay race on the whole”, Groves told Speed Skating Canada. “I am however really happy that the Olympic Trials are over! Overall I’m glad to be qualified, but I think I could have skated better; I didn’t stay focused from start to finish.”

In the 10k Keith Sulzer finished first in 13:48.82, second was Jordan Belchos (13.55.08), and the bronze was for Leo Landry (14.05.68). No Canadian men will be participating in the Olympic 10k.

“It’s a nice way to finish a difficult week. I wasn’t at my best during the other races, but I really skated well today”, Sulzer told Speed Skating Canada.

Friday, 1 January 2010

More gold medals for Kristina Groves and Lucas Makowsky on the fourth day of the Canadian Single Distances Championships/Olympic Trials, this time in the 1500m.

After her gold medal in the 1000m earlier this week, Kristina Groves also finished first in today’s 1500m. She needed 1:53.53 to complete the distance. The silver medal was for Cindy Klassen (1:55.65), and Brittany Schussler took the bronze (1:56.10). Christine Nesbitt was already prequalified for the 1500m.

“The race went very well today”, Groves told Speed Skating Canada. “I was much calmer than for the 1000m, I skated more relaxed and I’m really happy about that. I had some good laps and ended up with a great time too, pretty close to my personal best. With the trials, this is such an emotional competition, I guess I managed to put the nervousness behind me after the 1000m and get back to my old self today.”

Lucas Makowsky finished first in the men’s 1500m. His time of 1:44.47 proved to be fast enough for another gold medal, after he also finished first in the 5000m earlier this week. Second was Mathieu Giroux (1:45.34), and Kyle Parrott added another bronze medal (1:45.69) to his 500m and 1000m bronze medals earlier this week. Denny Morrison was already prequalified for the 1500m.

“It was a really good race, both technically and tactically”, Makowsky told Speed Skating Canada. “I was very relaxed going into it, which I liked, but maybe a little too relaxed for how I would have wanted to race it, but it gave me the fight for the end of the race. I got the job done! Winning the 1500m today solidifies my spot on the team, also with the Team Pursuit, and that’s what I wanted to accomplish this week.”

Also see Makowsky’s website for regular blog updates.

Giroux told Speed Skating Canada: “I would have liked to qualify in the 5000m. Today, I was really nervous, which is unusual for me. I had a false start, so I was really slow for the second start, and my technique wasn’t great, but I’m happy with the end result! There are only eight of us who qualified for all the distance spots, so with eight spots on the team, I feel confident. I’ve made a lot of important decisions over the last 13 months, switching to long track, taking a break with school, moving out West, I believed in myself and it’s amazing to see that those choices are now paying off!”

For complete results see here.

Wednesday, 30 December 2009

US Single Distances Championships/Olympic Trials – day 5

10k men

1.       Ryan Bedford – 13:20.46

2.       Trevor Marsicano – 13:21.06

3.       Jonathan Kuck – 13:30.14

1000m women

1.       Kelly Gunther – 1:17.10

2.       Anna Ringsred – 1:17.55

3.       Rebekah Bradford – 1:17.86

1000m men

1.       Nick Pearson – 1:09.04

2.       Tucker Fredricks – 1:09.22

3.       Brian Hansen – 1:09.38

5000m women

1.       Maria Lamb – 7:09.62

2.       Nancy Swider-Peltz Jr. – 7:11.63

3.       Anna Ringsred – 7:21.18

 For complete results see here.

Wednesday, 30 December 2009

Dutch Olympic Trials – day 4

1000m women

1.       Margot Boer – 1:15.70

2.       Laurine van Riessen – 1:15.93

3.       Annette Gerritsen – 1:16.57

10k men

1.       Bob de Jong – 12:53.63

2.       Arjen van der Kieft – 13:02.99

3.       Carl Verheijen – 13.11.01

Tuesday, 29 December 2009

On the third day of the Canadian Single Distances Championships/Olympic Trials Kristina Groves and Jeremy Wotherspoon finished first in the 1000m.

Kristina Groves, prequalified for the 3000m, needed 1:15.74 for her 1000m today, which earned her the gold medal. Second was Shannon Rempel (1:16.24), and Brittany Schussler finished third in 1:16.25. Christine Nesbitt was already prequalified for the 1000m.

“Canada has four or five skaters who can podium in World Cups”, Groves told Speed Skating Canada. “It was a really high calibre race, I was a little stressed, but I was able to focus my energy well. I was nervous today, but I think it was a positive nervousness, it allowed me to push myself. I’m really happy to be qualified for the 1000m event.”

After his gold medal in the 500m two days ago, Jeremy Wotherspoon also finished first in today’s 1000m. He crossed the finish line after 1:07.57. Prequalified Denny Morrison came in second (1:07.94), and Kyle Parrott claimed the bronze medal with his 1:08.10.

“After a year of forced rest, I’m getting back into racing shape slowly but surely”, Wotherspoon told Speed Skating Canada. “Right now, I’m focused on returning to my best racing shape – that is the most important thing for me at the moment. This will be the last time I skate for Canada at an Olympic Winter Games, and I’m convinced that it will be an experience unlike my other Olympic experiences.”

Tuesday, 29 December 2009

Dutch Olympic Trials – day 3

1500m men

1.       Simon Kuipers – 1:45.39

2.       Stefan Groothuis – 1:45.72

3.       Mark Tuitert – 1:46.47

500m women

1.       Annette Gerritsen (38.11 and 38.05)

2.       Margot Boer (37.94 and 38.44)

3.       Laurine van Riessen (38.72 and 38.78)

For complete results see here.

Monday, 28 December 2009

On the second day of the Canadian Single Distances Championships/Olympic Trials, Clara Hughes and Lucas Makowsky skated to the fastest times in respectively the 3000m and 5000m.

In the women’s 3000m Clara Hughes’ 4:05.03 proved to be more than fast enough to claim the gold medal, when Cindy Klassen needed 4:06.08 to complete the distance for second place. Third was Nicole Garrido in 4:08.06.

“I felt really good today and I knew I had to grab this opportunity to qualify for the 3000m event at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games”, Hughes told Speed Skating Canada.

“I really wanted to qualify for this event at the Olympics. The 5000m is my favourite distance, so I’ll be using the 3000m race as a practise run, in addition to being able to use it to relieve some competition-related stress prior to my big event.”

In the men’s 5000m Lucas Makowsky finished in 6:24.57, which not only earned him the gold medal, but it also represented a new personal best time for him in this distance. Denny Morrison finished second in 6:25.40 and Mathieu Giroux completed the podium with his 6:25.74.

“I was in the last pair to race today, I knew the time I needed in order to qualify”, Makowsky told Speed Skating Canada. “I used that late start to my advantage; though I could have skated better, the most important thing was to qualify, It’s a dream come true for me. Now that I know that I have a spot on Team Canada, there is less pressure on me for the 1500m race, so who knows what I can do now!”

For complete results see here.

Monday, 28 December 2009

Dutch Olympic Trials – day 2

1000m men

1.       Stefan Groothuis – 1:08.50

2.       Simon Kuipers – 1:08.52

3.       Kjeld Nuis – 1:09.28

3000m women

1.       Ireen Wüst – 4:06.80

2.       Diane Valkenburg – 4:09.14

3.       Yvonne Nauta – 4:10.72

For complete results see here.

Sunday, 27 December 2009

This week, the Canadian Single Distances Championships are taking place in Calgary. At this competition spots on the Olympic Team are to be earned, so a lot is at stake. Today, the Olympic Trials kicked off with the 500m for men and women. On the men’s side, Jeremy Wotherspoon claimed the gold medal in the first 500m after skating a 34.70. Second was Jamie Gregg (34.74), and Mike Ireland finished third (34.79). In the second 500m, the gold medal was for Ireland (34.46), Wotherspoon finished second (34.47), and Kyle Parrott (34.54) claimed the bronze. Consequently, Wotherspoon took the overall gold medal, Ireland was second, and the bronze was for Parrott.

On the women’s side Christine Nesbitt finished first in both 500m’s (38.56, 38.54), thereby claiming the overall gold medal. After two third-place finishes Anastasia Bucsis (38.83, 38.81) finished second overall, and the overall bronze medal was for Shannon Rempel (38.82/2, 38.88/4). Tamara Oudenaarden was fourth overall, after her fourth place (38.99) in the first 500m and her second place (38.78) in the second 500m.

“Each heat went well, I’m really happy to have secured my spot in the 500m for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, since it’s not my specialty”, Nesbitt told Speed Skating Canada. “It was a bit challenging to keep my focus while racing today, since I’m not all that confident at this distance.”

Last week Speedskating-online interviewed Anastasia Bucsis. Click here to read the story.

For complete results see here.

US Single Distances Championships – day 2

1000m men

1.       Shani Davis – 1:07.90

2.       Nick Pearson – 1:09.52

3.       Mitchell Whitmore – 1:10.07

5000m men

1.       Trevor Marsicano – 6:21.02

2.       Jonathan Kuck – 6:22.79

3.       Brian Hansen – 6:24.85

1000m women

1.       Kelly Gunther – 1:17.12

2.       Rebekah Bradford – 1:17.31

3.       Anna Ringsred – 1:18.00

3000m women

1.       Nancy Swider-Peltz Jr. – 4:09.50

2.       Jennifer Rodriguez – 4:10.04

3.       Maria Lamb – 4:10.48

For complete results see  here.

Sunday, 27 December 2009

US Single Distances Championships – day 1

500m men

1.       Mitchell Witmore – 35.33 (1) and 35.27 (1)

2.       Brent Aussprung – 35.46 (2) and 35.32 (3)

3.       Matthew Plummer – 35.56 (5)  and 35.27 (1)

500m women

1.       Lauren Cholewinski – 38.75 (3) and 38.46 (1)

2.       Rebekah Bradford – 39.00 (4) and 38.46 (2)

3.       Anna Ringsred – 39.98 (6) and 39.87 (4)

For complete results see here.

For complete results see here.