Sang-Hwa Lee (KOR) took revenge, Pavel Kulizhnikov (RUS) kept winning and Marrit Leenstra (NED) beat fellow-Dutch Ireen Wüst. Leg two of the ISU World Cup Speed Skating series 2014/15 in Seoul (KOR) continued with the Men’s 10,000m, the Ladies’ second 500m, the Men’s 1000m and the Ladies’ 1500m on Saturday. In all distances except for the 500m, the Track Record was broken and two skaters set personal best times. Experience proved to be the key in the longest distance, in which 38-year-old Bob de Jong (NED) won with daylight between him and his opponents.
Grand Old Man Bob de Jong (NED) celebrates 10th victory in 10,000m
De Jong was a class of his own setting a track record time of 13:17.51 in the 10,000m. Bart Swings (BEL) came second with 13:32.45, and Alexandr Rumyantsev (RUS) third with 13:37.59.
Although the times were slow again, Erik Jan Kooiman (NED) managed to set a new track record (13:19.09) in the B-division. That time stood as the fastest of the day until the final pair of the A-division.
In the second pair of division A, Swings skated 13:32.45. It did not seem fast, but it was a balanced race with lap times between 32.0 and 32.5 seconds and even a couple of faster laps towards the end. No one managed to come close in the proceeding pairs. Friday’s 1500m winner Sverre Lunde Pedersen (NOR) skated 13:40.35, which was just half a second faster than Patrick Beckert (GER). The German outsprinted Douwe de Vries (NED) in his pair.
When De Jong and Rumyantsev entered the rink in the final pair, Swings’ time still stood as the fastest in the A-division. De Jong was the only one who dared to start with a sub-35-second lap. He kept his lap times under 32 seconds for most of the race. Rumyantsev managed keep track of De Jong until 6000m, when the Dutch veteran crossed in front making a bit more speed. From then on the Russian’s lap times went up, three 32’s, four 33’s, a 34.8 and finally two 35’s. Rumyantsev lost a possible second place, but hung on to the podium.
The top six 10,000m times earn a starting spot for their country in the World Single Distance 10,000m race, in which according to this season’s new entry rules only two skaters from each country are allowed to start. Those entries include the top three finishers in the B-division, in which Ted-Jan Bloemen finished third for Canada in 13.35.77. The top-6 times are added to the top-6 in the World Cup ranking at the end of December.
De Jong leads the combined 5000/10,000m World Cup with 160 points, Rumyantsev has 150. Swings follows in third with 105. Kramer dropped to fourth as he did not race on Saturday.
Sang-Hwa Lee (KOR) faster than Nao Kodaira (JPN)
Sang-Hwa Lee and Nao Kodaira swapped places in the second Ladies’ 500m, with Lee beating Kodaira on Saturday. Karolina Erbanová (CZE) took the bronze. Lee was the only skater to finish under 38 seconds with 37.99. Kodaira skated 38.51.
After her unexpected loss against Kodaira on Friday, the Olympic Champion posted a picture from the Disney-movie Alice in Wonderland on her facebook site. It showed a snobby girl who said: “I don’t care.” Lee commented: “I’m really ok. It’s just a step difference. Cheer up again.” She lived up to her own words and took advantage of the final inner corner to chase Kodaira down.
Erbanová was ‘best of the rest’ in 38.83. A total of eight skaters finished under 39 seconds, with Floor van den Brandt (NED) missing the podium by only 0.01 seconds.
Lee leads the World Cup with 380 points, Kodaira has 340. Van den Brandt is ranked third with 201 points and Olga Fatkulina (RUS) fourth with 186.
Pavel Kulizhnikov (RUS) also wins 1000m in Seoul
Kulizhnikov keeps on winning. The 20-year-old Russian set a new 1000m track record in 1:09.56. Stefan Groothuis (NED) broke the track record in the sixth pair, but had to settle for second place in 1:09.83. Kjeld Nuis (NED) made his fourth podium in four races (1000/1500m) with 1:09.86.
Kai Verbij (NED) was in the lead with 1:10.24, when Olympic Champion Groothuis arrived at the start. Groothuis opened in 16.85 and proceeded with a 25.3 and a 27.5 lap to take the five-year-old track record from Kyou-Hyuk Lee. In the next three pairs nobody could even better Verbij’s time. Shani Davis (USA) got stuck at 1:10.29 to end up fifth.
In the final pair Kulizhnikov started with 16.30 and Nuis with 16.67. The Russian equaled Groothuis’ first lap and Nuis was 0.2 slower. With a 27.8 final lap Kulizhnikov managed to limit his loss to win the race. Nuis finished with a 27.6 lap.
Kulizhnikov leads the World Cup with 200 points. Nuis is second with 150 and Samuel Schwarz (GER) third with 115 points, three more than Groothuis.
Marrit Leenstra beats Ireen Wüst in 1500m track record
Exactly ten seconds behind the men’s 1500m time of 1:47.76, Marrit Leenstra (NED) celebrated her third World Cup victory in the 1500m. With 1:57.76 she defeated pair mate Wüst, who finished in 1:58.33. Olga Graf (RUS) completed the podium with 1:59.02.
Graf was the first to break the two minute barrier to take German Anni Friesinger’s track record (2:00.48), that stood for over ten years. Her race was well-built: a 27.25 opener with proceeding laps of 29.5, 30.5 and 31.6. Graf was helped by a fast-starting Qishi Li (CHN), who was leading for most of the race, but finished with a 30.0 lap in 1:59.48. In the penultimate pair Ida Njåtun (NOR) managed to squeeze in between Graf and Li with 1:59.34.
Wüst and Leenstra faced each other in the final pair. Leenstra took the lead from the start, opening 25.81 against Wüst’s 25.96. Still building their lead over Graf, they passed side-by-side after the first full lap, Wüst in 29.0 and Leenstra in 29.1. The race was still close when they entered the final lap, but Leenstra had a slight advantage after a 30.4 lap against Wüst’s 30.5. Wüst eventually lost over two seconds to Graf in the final lap (32.8) but managed to hold on to silver. Leenstra made all the difference in the final inner corner to finish with a 32.3 lap and clinch the gold.
Leenstra leads the World Cup. Both she and Wüst have 180 points, followed by Njåtun with 120 and the Russian ladies Skokova (110) and Graf (94).