Ladies
Jenny Wolf won both her 500m races this weekend. The first with 38.18, only 0.04 ahead of Margot Boer (NED). Annette Gerritsen (NED) was third in 38.67. The second race of Wolf was better: With 37.96 she finished the season. It was the 50th World Cup win of her career, and with that she won the World Cup for the 5th time in a row. Gerritsen was second with 38.32 and Boer had 38.41. Margot Boer overtook Beixing Wang who was absent in Heerenveen. Boer had 700 points in total, Wang had 680 and Gerritsen is fourth with 625 points. Wolf: “The season gave a lot of pressure. Because of Olympics you want to do everything right. Even now it’s hard to let go. But if I see what I achieved, it is something I am super proud of. As a child I looked up to great skaters, I am one of them now.”
In the 1000m, Christine Nesbitt (CAN) had started the season with 4 wins in a row, and although she had been absent in the 5th race, she was comfortably in the lead. “I was afraid to lose my lead at the end of the season, as I was not skating so well”, she said afterwards, as that had happened two years ago. In a direct duel she beat Monique Angermüller (GER), her closest opponent. Nesbitt skated 1:17.14, but it did not bring her on the distance podium. The first place was just like last week for Yekaterina Shikhova (RUS), in 1:16.25 this time. Behind her the Dutch took the next four places, with Gerritsen second in 1:16.35, followed by Natasja Bruintjes in 1:16.60. In the ranking, just like last year, Nesbitt finished as winner in 472 points, Margot Boer with 395 points overtook Monique Angermüller who had only 351 points. Bruintjes followed closely with 346 points.
In the 1500m, Kristina Groves (CAN) was leading with 50 points over Christine Nesbitt with Wüst in third. Groves won this last 1500m in 1:58.15, increasing her lead and gathering 560 points in total. Nesbitt finished in 15th place, but with 374 she had enough points to stay in second place overall. This weekend, Martina Sáblíková (CZE) finished in second place with 1:58.27 and Brittany Schussler (CAN) in third with 1:58.60. Wüst was ill and withdrew, which brought Sáblíková to the final podium with 348 points and Schussler finished fourth with 296.
Martina Sáblíková won the 3000m race. All season it had been close between her and Stephanie Beckert, who had her break-through season. Daniela Anschütz-Thoms had set 4:06.25 in the pre-last pair, when Sáblíková beat Beckert in the final pair, with a time just enough to beat Anschütz, 4:06.25. Beckert finished in third with 4:07.57. In the ranking these three skaters were on the podium as well: Sáblíková with 610 points, Beckert with 535 and Anschütz-Thoms with 435 points.
In the team pursuit, the Canadian ladies won with 3:02.05, then followed Germany with 3:03.43, Japan with 3:04.58 and Russia with 3:04.69. Canada kept the lead with 430 points, Russia stayed in second with 320 and Germany overtook Japan with 310 points versus 295.
Men
In the 500m for men, Mika Poutala (FIN) was leading the ranking. However, he said he had been really sick a week and a half ago and lacked the power he had had until the Olympics. That opened an opportunity for Tucker Fredricks (USA) and Jan Smeekens (NED). Like last week, Smeekens won both 500m races (in 34.99 and 35.05) and with the 300 extra points that gave him, he got 742 points. Fredricks was second, 0.02 behind Smeekens in the first race and with some balance problems fourth in the second, which was enough to bring him the lead overall. Ronald Mulder (NED) also finished on the podium twice: first in third, then in second place. Akio Ohta (JPN) completed the second 500m podium. Poutala skated 35.49 and 35.46 which brought him to 8th and 6th place. So just like in 2007, Tucker Fredricks took the World Cup in the final weekend. This time he had 788 points; Smeekens finished second with 742 points and Poutala was third with 702 points. Fredricks: “It was a disappointing season that ended on a high note.”
In the 1000m, Shani Davis (USA) was already certain of the overall win. He has skated every world cup race and won it. This weekend that wasn’t any different. 1:08.89 was his winning time. He was paired with Mark Tuitert (NED), who kept his second place overall with 1:09.13, a third place finish. Stefan Groothuis managed to clock 1:09.07, and was second on the distance, thus overtaking Denny Morrison (CAN) in the ranking, and also Simon Kuipers (fourth place, Morrison had sixth) did so. In the ranking Davis had the full 750 points, Tuitert 425 and Groothuis 355.
Davis also won the 1500m World Cup. He lost only one race, to his compatriot Chad Hedrick who finished his career with the Olympics. Davis showed great skating to the end, winning the 1500m in 1:45.20. In second place was Denny Morrison with 1:46.12 and third was young Dutchman Kjeld Nuis with 1:46.61 slightly faster than Olympic champion Mark Tuitert (1:46.67). This meant that Davis won with 630 points, Håvard Bøkko (NOR) was second with 395 points and Denny Morrison was third with 338. Tuitert was fourth in the ranking with 290 points.
In the 5000/10,000m men, the top four skaters going into the competition were Sven Kramer (after four wins), Bob de Jong with 380 points, Ivan Skobrev with 325 and Håvard Bøkko with 305. Kramer did not skate in Heerenveen as he was ill, which made him certainly lose his lead. First of the ‘followers’ to skate were Håvard Bøkko and Carl Verheijen (NED), for who this race was the last of his career, and he used the last lap to thank his coach and the public, because of which he kept his 5th place overall. Bøkko was the winner of the pair, finishing in 6:20.52, beating the leading 6:21.49 which his team mate Sverre Haugli had skated in the third pair. In the final pair Bob de Jong was expected to maintain his lead over the others, but De Jong did not have the power he had in the beginning of the season. He confessed that he had back problems that had interfered with intensive training since December. He finished in 6:29.45 while his pairmate Ivan Skobrev reached 6:23.24 and the bronze in the distance. The unusual situation occurred that no Dutchman was on the long distance podium, but two Norwegians and a Russian skater. It brought a turn in the ranking. The win of Bøkko brought him a total of 455 points, Skobrev had a total of 430 points and De Jong only 416. All three had kept Kramer off the final podium (he had 400 points). Bøkko: “It was a bit of luck. Bob skated bad for once. I didn’t think of the ranking while skating, only that I might be on the podium. My first win of the season, unexpectedly.”
In the Team Pursuit the Dutch men also lost their lead, hence no Dutch winner in the World Cup, a rarity. The Norwegians won in 3:42.77, Canada finished in 3:44.30 and Team USA was third with 3:45.70. The Netherlands were fourth. This brought Norway to a winning 380 points, the Netherlands got stuck at 350 and Canada has 306 and finished third overall.
Essent ISU World Cup Speed Skating Final –Heerenveen (NED) - Medal Winners
500m Ladies
|
1 |
Jenny Wolf |
GER |
38.18 |
|
2 |
Margot Boer |
NED |
38.22 |
|
3 |
Annette Gerritsen |
NED |
38.67 |
500m Ladies
|
1 |
Jenny Wolf |
GER |
37.96 |
|
2 |
Annette Gerritsen |
NED |
38.32 |
|
3 |
Margot Boer |
NED |
38.41 |
500m Men
|
1 |
Jan Smeekens |
NED |
34.99 |
|
2 |
Tucker Fredricks |
USA |
35.01 |
|
3 |
Ronald Mulder |
NED |
35.24 |
500m Men
|
1 |
Jan Smeekens |
NED |
35.05 |
|
2 |
Ronald Mulder |
NED |
35.19 |
|
3 |
Akio Ohta |
JPN |
35.35 |
1000m Ladies
|
1 |
Yekaterina Shikhova |
RUS |
1:16.25 |
|
2 |
Annette Gerritsen |
NED |
1:16.35 |
|
3 |
Natasja Bruintjes |
NED |
1:16.60 |
1000m Men
|
1 |
Shani Davis |
USA |
1:08.89 |
|
2 |
Stefan Groothuis |
NED |
1:09.07 |
|
3 |
Mark Tuitert |
NED |
1:09.13 |
1500m Ladies
|
1 |
Kristina Groves |
CAN |
1:58.15 |
|
2 |
Martina Sáblíková |
CZE |
1:58.27 |
|
3 |
Brittany Schussler |
CAN |
1:58.60 |
1500m Men
|
1 |
Shani Davis |
USA |
1:45.20 |
|
2 |
Denny Morrison |
CAN |
1:46.12 |
|
3 |
Kjeld Nuis |
NED |
1:46.61 |
3000m Ladies
|
1 |
Martina Sábliková |
CZE |
4:06.25 |
|
2 |
Daniela Anschütz-Thoms |
GER |
4:06.54 |
|
3 |
Stephanie Beckert |
GER |
4:07.57 |
5000m Men
|
1 |
Håvard Bøkko |
NOR |
6:20.52 |
|
2 |
Sverre Haugli |
NOR |
6:21.49 |
|
3 |
Ivan Skobrev |
RUS |
6:23.24 |
Team Pursuit Ladies
|
1 |
Groves, Klassen, Schussler |
CAN |
3:02.05 |
|
2 |
Beckert, Friesinger-Postma, Mattscherodt |
GER |
3:03.43 |
|
3 |
Hozumi, Kodaira, Tabata |
JPN |
3:04.58 |
Team Pursuit Men
|
1 |
Bøkko, Christiansen, Flygind-Larsen |
NOR |
3:42.77 |
|
2 |
Giroux, D.Morrison, L.Makowsky |
CAN |
3:44.30 |
|
3 |
Bedford, Davis, Kuck |
USA |
3:45.70 |
World Cup Final Ranking
500m Ladies
|
1 |
Jenny Wolf |
GER |
1260 |
|
2 |
Margot Boer |
NED |
700 |
|
3 |
Beixing Wang |
CHN |
680 |
500m Men
|
1 |
Tucker Fredricks |
USA |
788 |
|
2 |
Jan Smeekens |
NED |
742 |
|
3 |
Mika Poutala |
FIN |
702 |
1000m Ladies
|
1 |
Christine Nesbitt |
CAN |
472 |
|
2 |
Margot Boer |
NED |
395 |
|
3 |
Monique Angermüller |
GER |
351 |
1000m Men
|
1 |
Shani Davis |
USA |
750 |
|
2 |
Mark Tuitert |
NED |
425 |
|
3 |
Stefan Groothuis |
NED |
355 |
1500m Ladies
|
1 |
Kristina Groves |
CAN |
560 |
|
2 |
Christine Nesbitt |
CAN |
374 |
|
3 |
Martina Sáblíková |
CZE |
348 |
1500m Men
|
1 |
Shani Davis |
USA |
630 |
|
2 |
Håvard Bøkko |
NOR |
395 |
|
3 |
Denny Morrison |
CAN |
338 |
3000m Ladies
|
1 |
Martina Sáblíková |
CZE |
610 |
|
2 |
Stephanie Beckert |
GER |
535 |
|
3 |
Daniela Anschütz-Thoms |
GER |
435 |
5000m Men
|
1 |
Håvard Bøkko |
NOR |
455 |
|
2 |
Ivan Skobrev |
RUS |
430 |
|
3 |
Bob de Jong |
NED |
416 |
Team Pursuit Ladies
|
1 |
Canada |
CAN |
430 |
|
2 |
Russia |
RUS |
320 |
|
3 |
Germany |
GER |
310 |
Team Pursuit Men
|
1 |
Norway |
NOR |
380 |
|
2 |
The Netherlands |
NED |
350 |
|
3 |
Canada |
CAN |
306 |
For details of the Essent ISU World Cup
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