Kim takes first Rep. Korean 500m gold since 2013

Credit: ISU

Kim takes first Rep. Korean 500m gold since 2013


Jun-Ho Kim (KOR) won his first ever World Cup gold in the 500m on the third day of the ISU World Cup speed skating in Minsk, while Kjeld Nuis (NED) made amends for Saturday's disappointing 1000m, seizing gold in the 1500m on Sunday.

In the Ladies' 1000m, world champion Brittany Bowe (USA) confidently beat Olympic champion Jorien ter Mors (NED) in a track record, as Ivanie Blondin (CAN) defeated arch rival Irene Schouten (NED) in the Mass Start with a powerful sprint on the final straight.

Kim takes first Korean 500m gold since Mo in 2013
Jun-Ho Kim (KOR) surprised a competitive field in the Men's 500m, when he stopped the clock at 34.87. The 24-year-old sprinter took home the first 500m World Cup gold for Rep. Korea since Tae-bum Mo in December 2013.

In absence of the injured world record holder Pavel Kulizhnikov (RUS), all eyes in the 500m were on Tatsuya Shinhama (JPN), the only other skater who has ever broken the 34-second barrier in the shortest distance.

Shinhama started in the final pairing versus Viktor Mushtakov (RUS). With 9.70, the Japanese youngster opened slower than Kim, who had covered the first 100m in 9.65 in the seventh of 10 pairings. With 25.31, Shinhama could not match Kim's full lap (25.22) either, and he had to settle for fourth place in 35.01.

Only the top three skaters stayed under 35 seconds in the Minsk Arena. Tingyu Gao (CHN), who had the fastest opener in 9.52, seized silver in 34.91 and Dai Dai Ntab (NED) took bronze in 34.91.

Nuis stays calm to win 1500m
In the 1500m Kjeld Nuis (NED) managed to stay composed in the 1500m, after a sloppy race in the 1000m on Saturday. The Olympic champion started in the eighth pairing versus Min-Seok Kim (KOR) and he was the first to open under 24 seconds in 23.88.

Nuis paced his race well and was able to make use of his opponent on the final back straight to finish in 1:46.22, more than a second slower than Russian Denis Yuskov's track record of 1:45.18.

Yuskov himself faced the 1000m winner Thomas Krol (NED) in the final pairing on Sunday. The Dutchman had the fastest opener in 23.76, but he did not have Nuis' stamina.

Yuskov stayed on Krol's tail and used the final inner corner to chase him down. Both men battled for the pair win on the last straight, with Yuskov pipping Krol to the line in 1:46.45. The Russian took silver after Friday's bronze in the 5000m, to show that he is a force to reckon with in the upcoming allround tournaments this season. Krol took the 1500m bronze in 1:46.49.

Kim (1:46.68) finished in fourth place, ahead of Friday's 5000m winner Patrick Roest (NED) and Sverre Lunde Pedersen (NOR), who made amends for his disappointing 14th place in the 5000m.

Bowe seals win with fast final lap
Jorien ter Mors, who missed last season with a knee injury, had an early start in the fourth of 10 pairings in the Ladies' 1000m. She skated the fastest first full lap of the field in 27.51 seconds, but was not able to maintain her pace in the final lap (30.23) and finished in 1:15.95.

Despite the decay in the final lap, Ter Mors' time was still the one to beat when Bowe and Miho Takagi (JPN) set off in the penultimate pairing.

In a reprise of Saturday's 1500m race, Bowe defeated Takagi once more, this time to take the gold medal instead of the bronze a day before. The American 1000m world champion was 0.03 seconds slower than Ter Mors at the 600m split, but skated the fastest final lap of the field in 29.61 to finish in 1:15.35, shaving 0.47 off the 2018 track record of Marrit Leenstra (NED). Takagi clocked a disappointing 1:16.62 to end up ninth.

Yekaterina Shikhova (RUS) had already skated 1:15.96 in the eighth pairing, which turned out to be enough for the bronze medal. Ireen Wüst (NED) and Olga Fatkulina (RUS) did not challenge the podium in the final pair, finishing seventh and 11th respectively.

Blondin catches prey on final straight
In the Ladies' Mass Start Tatyana Mikhailova (BLR) pleased the home crowd with an early attack. The 22-year-old Belarusian was followed by 21-year-old Noemi Bonazza (ITA) and the Italian youngster pulled through.

But after a few laps together, Mikhailova couldn't keep up with Bonazza, who eventually also had to bow her head, when Melissa Wijfje (NED) started chasing in front of the bunch mindful of Schouten's chances in a final sprint.

Shortly after Bonazza was caught, Schouten took the lead heading into the final lap in first position. Blondin had to dig deep in pursuit but, once she had caught up with the world champion, the Canadian settled in behind her back for half a lap, before emphatically crushing her prey on the final straight. Francesca Lollobrigida (ITA) finished third.

Blondin’s win made amends for coming second behind Schouten in last year's World Single Distance Championships. Her gold medal was Canada's second of the World Cup weekend after Isabelle Weidemann's 3000m victory on Friday.