The fourth round of the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating Series 2016/17 concluded today with the Ladies and Men 500 m, second 1000 m and Relay Finals. A total of nearly 30,000 spectators attended this weekend's World Cup event at the Gangneung Ice Area.
Min Jeong Choi (KOR) and Dajing Wu (CHN) win the 500 m events
Min Jeong Choi (KOR) won the Ladies 500 m final, to the cheers of the home crowd. Choi crossed the finish line ahead of Kexin Fan (CHN). Natalia Maliszewska (POL), who led early in the race ended up finishing in third place. Jamie Macdonald (CAN) finished in fourth while Arianna Fontana (ITA) was fifth. Elise Christie (GBR) did not compete in this distance this weekend however she maintains her lead in the World Cup classification for the distance.
On the Men’s side, Dajing Wu (CHN) added to his win collection in the 500 m distance, with a third consecutive gold medal. Wu led the race from start to finish. Denis Nikisha (KAZ) finished in second place, ahead of Seung Soo Han (KOR) who took the third and final podium spot. Victor An (RUS) received a penalty in the final. The win allows Wu to extend his lead of the World Cup rankings for the distance.
Elise Christie (GBR) and Charles Hamelin (CAN) claim top spots in 1000 m (2) events
Elisa Christie (GBR) won her second gold medal of the weekend, with back to back wins in the 1000 m distance. Christie dominated the Ladies 1000 m (2) final, leading the last six laps. Yihan Guo (CHN) crossed the finished line in second place, moving from fourth to second place on the last lap. Suk Hee Shim (KOR) finished in third place, ahead of Suzanna Schulting (NED). Min Jeong Choi (KOR) did not compete in today’s 1000 m (2) event however she maintains the lead in the World Cup classification for the distance.
On the Men’s side, Charles Hamelin (CAN) was back at the top of the podium with a win in the 1000 m (2) final. Hamelin, who took the lead midway through the race, edged out Semen Elistratov (RUS) who finished in second place. Charle Cournoyer (CAN) finished in third place, ahead of Shaoang Liu (HUN). The fourth place finished allows Liu to take the lead in the World Cup ranking for the distance.
Korea (Ladies) and Hungary (Men) take gold in the Relay events
The home crowd cheered on the Korean women’s relay team who won the relay final yet again. The win allows Korea to keep their perfect record of four wins in as many World Cup events. The team finished ahead of the Netherlands while Canada finished in third place. China finished in fourth place. Korea comfortably continues to lead the World Cup classification.
The Men’s 5000 m Relay was won by Hungary, who takes its second win of the World Cup season. Hungary led most of the race, finishing ahead of Canada. The United States finished in third place. For both Canada and the United States, this is their first podium appearance of the season. China finished in fourth place while Korea received a penalty. The win allows Hungary to move into the lead of the World Cup rankings for the distance.
For full results of the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating Series 2016/17 please refer to http://shorttrack.sportresult.com/ and /en/speed-skating/series/isu-world-cup-speed-skating
The ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating Series takes a break for the holiday season and resumes in the New Year in Dresden (GER) on February 3-5, 2017.
About ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating 2016/17 Series
The ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating circuit consists of six events across North America, Asia and Europe. For the third year the format of the Series will consist of one day of qualification and two days of World Cup Sessions which includes the Finals. At each competition the Men and Ladies Relay races will take place along with Men and Ladies individual races which will be held over 500m, 1000m and 1500m and single distances determine the winners. The series starts in Calgary (CAN) on November 4-6 and will move to Salt Lake City (USA) on November 11-13. Almost a month later the Series will continue in Asia with Shanghai (CHN) on December 9-11 and move to Gangneung (KOR) on December 16-18 which will be the official test event for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang. After a long break the World Cup will pick up again in Europe, with the first stop in Dresden (GER) on February 3-5 and finally in Minsk (BLR) on February 10-12.