HEERENVEEN, Netherlands — Team USA's long track speedskaters added three more medals to the team's season tally — now 30 — at Saturday's Essent ISU World Cup Final.
Two-time Olympic champion, Shani Davis (Chicago, IL) won gold in today's 1500-meter final, posting a time of 1:45.92 and clinching the overall 1500m World Cup season title.
"It was a good, solid race," Davis said. "Hopefully it will be even better tomorrow and the days to come."
"As expected, it was a tough 1500, with the overall title on the line," explained U.S. long track coach Ryan Shimabukuro. "Shani attacked the race right away, as normal, but what made the difference today was that he remained aggressive in the second lap."
Davis finished 0.17 second ahead of Stefan Groothuis (NED) at 1:46.09, and Ivan Skobrev (RUS) who took third at 1:46.59. 2010 Olympic silver medalist Jonathan Kuck (Champaign, IL) posted a time of 1:46.73, taking fourth in the final, and finishing the distance ranked ninth overall. 2010 Olympic silver medalist Trevor Marsicano (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) finished 11th at 1:47.69, and finished the season ranked fifth overall in the 1500m.
2010 Olympian Jilleanne Rookard (Woodhaven, MI) skated a strong race in the 3000m distance to finish fifth (4:10.05), just 3.84 seconds back from today's distance winner Martina Sablikova (CZE), who posted 4:06.21. Rookard finishes the season ranked third overall in the 3000m World Cup standings.
"I've been skating since I was 6 years old, and I can't wait to show my family my World Cup hardware," said Rookard.
"Jill was not only strong throughout her entire race today, she found the extra motivation to fight for her position on the overall podium," Shimabukuro said.
2010 Olympian Heather Richardson (High Point, N.C.) finished today's 500m, the first of two races at the distance this weekend, with a time of 39.03 to place 10th, 0.72 seconds behind Annette Gerritsen (NED) winning the distance at 38.31 seconds. 2010 Olympic teammates Lauren Cholewinski (York. S.C.) posted 39.37 to finish 16th, and Rebekah Bradford (Apple Valley, MN)skated a 39.90 to finish 18th.
HAMLIN WINS LUGE TITLE: At Lake Placid, N.Y., Erin Hamlin has been on two Olympic teams and won the 2009 World Luge Championship. The 24-year-old also creates economic impact.
Even as Hamlin won her second straight Norton National Luge Championship on Saturday on Mount Van Hoevenberg, unbeknownst to her, she was generating business in this Olympic village as 30 hotel rooms were booked by her hometown supporters, who made the three-hour drive from Remsen, N.Y.
The top racer in the American program did not disappoint as she posted the two fastest times over the three-quarters of a mile, 15-curve track to defeat Emily Sweeney, of Suffield, Conn. by .24 of a second.
Hamlin's times of 44.883 and 44.698 seconds totaled one minute, 29.581 seconds on a day that broke warm and humid, before some clearing conditions entered the Adirondacks. The weather change sped up the course at the Olympic Sports Complex in the second leg.