Debutant Pavel Kulizhnikov (RUS) is the sprinting revelation of this season’s first ISU World Cup Speed Skating weekend in Obihiro. After his impressive silver medal in the first 500m on Friday, the 20-year-old Russian clinched the gold medal in the 1000m on Saturday. In the Ladies’ event Marrit Leenstra (NED) took her first career 1000m World Cup win. Both the Men’s and the Ladies’ Team Pursuit events were dominated by the Dutch, with the Japanese Ladies taking silver on home soil.
Marrit Leenstra (NED) grabs first 1000m Word Cup win
With two 1500 World Cup victories from previous seasons already to her name, Leenstra took the ice against Olga Fatkulina (RUS) in the penultimate pair of the 1000m on Saturday. Qishi Li (CHN) had set the best time so far (1:16.54) in the first pair. Leenstra skated 1:16.23 to break the track record (1:16.45), which was set by Heather Richardson (USA) in 2010. Richardson and her compatriot Brittany Bowe are not present at the World Cup races in Obihiro.
In the final pair Ireen Wüst (NED) managed to beat the previous track record as well, but she came 0.11 short to beat Leenstra and had to settle for the silver medal. Qishi Li took the bronze while Olympic Champion Hong Zhang (CHN) skated a disappointing 1:16.78 and ended up fourth.
Vanessa Bittner (AUT), who already impressed in the 500m B-division on Friday, again showed to be too strong for the B-division in the double distance. With her telling 1:16.77 she would have ended up fourth in the A-division.
1000m gold for first-timer Pavel Kulizhnikov (RUS)
When Pavel Kulizhnikov entered the rink in the Men’s 1000m, German Samuel Schwarz (1:09.77) and Canadian Vincent De Haitre (1:09.90) were the only two skaters who had already managed to beat the 1:10 barrier. Kulizhnikov skated 1:09.23 to set a new track record in the fifth pair.
Kjeld Nuis, who won the Dutch 1000m title for the third consecutive time in Heerenveen two weeks ago, was the only one to really challenge Kulizhnikov’s time. The 25-year-old Dutchmen came 0.04 short, when he beat Olympic Champion Stefan Groothuis in the penultimate pair. Nuis took silver and Groothuis (1:10.28) only ended up ninth.
Olympic Silver medallist Denny Morisson (CAN) lost his race against Shani Davis (USA) in the final pair. Davis equalled De Haitre’s 1:09.90, but was ranked fifth behind the Canadian, who skated his first World Cup 1000m race. Schwarz’s 1:09.77 stood for the bronze medal. Sixth ranked Koen Verweij (NED) was the last skater to stay under 1:10 with 1:09.98.
Dutch dominance of Men’s Team Pursuit continues
Sven Kramer, Wouter Olde Heuvel and Douwe de Vries grabbed the tenth consecutive Dutch Team Pursuit World Cup win on Saturday. De Vries raced as a substitute for Koen Verweij, who suffered from pain in the neck after his 1000m race.
Beating Poland in the last race, the Dutch set a superior 3:43.68 to keep the rest of the field at bay. The Polish men settled for fourth place in 3:48.66. Korea, featuring Lee Seung-hoon, took the silver medal in 3:47.15. Aleksandr Rumyantsev, Danila Semerikov and Danil Sinitsyn took the bronze medal for Russia in 3:48.22.
Dutch Ladies follow men’s example in Team Pursuit
Like their male compatriots the Dutch Ladies dominated the Team Pursuit. Ireen Wüst, Marrit Leenstra and Marije Joling set a new track record in 3:02.54, more than two seconds faster than Japan’s Nana Takagi, Ayaka Kikuchi and Maki Tabata (3:04.78), who took the silver medal.
Germany’s Claudia Pechstein, Bente Kraus and Gabriele Hirschbichler took the bronze in 3.06,51. Olympic bronze medallist Russia set a disappointing 3:08.56 to end up sixth.