SPEED SKATING: Double World Cup wins for Kulizhnikov and Bowe in Hamar

U.S. Speed Skating star Brittany Bowe

Russia’s five-time World Champion Pavel Kulizhnikov and American four-time World Champion Brittany Bowe each claimed two wins in Hamar, Norway in the penultimate World Cup of the 2018-19 season.

Kulizhnikov won both of the 500 m races and was the only double winner among the men. He’s won six of the nine 500 m races this World Cup season and has just about clinched the seasonal title, but not quite. He will have to wait until the World Cup Final in Salt Lake City in early March.

Bowe won her 19th-20th-21st World Cup races of her career, taking the 1,000 m on Saturday over Japanese star Nao Kodaira, 1:14.791-1:15.254, and the 1,500 on Sunday from Dutch skater Lotte van Beek, 1:55.892-1:56.132.

“I’m really pleased with this weekend’s racing,” said Bowe. “It was a great tune-up for the World Championships. I’m feeling strong, confident and ready to go head-to-head with the best in the world next weekend.”

In the seasonal 1,000 m standings, Bowe has a 277-217 lead over Austria’s Vanessa Herzog, and a 270-217 lead over Ireen Wust (NED) in the 1,500 m. Bowe has three seasonal World Cup titles on her resume: 2015 in the 1,000 m and 2016 in the 1,000 m and 1,500 m.

Next up is the ISU Single Distances Championships in Inzell (GER) next week. Summaries from Hamar:

ISU Speed Skating World Cup
Hamar (NOR) ~ 1-3 February 2019
(Full results here)

Men

500 m I: 1. Pavel Kulizhnikov (RUS), 34.652; 2. Jun-Ho Kim (KOR), 34.718; 3. Dai Dai Ntab (NED), 34.771; 4. Kai Verbij (NED), 34.802; 5. Laurent Dubreuil (CAN), 34.812.

500 m II: 1. Kulizhnikov (RUS), 34.786; 2. Ruslan Murashov (RUS), 34.829; 3. Jun-Ho Kim (KOR), 34.849; 4. Jan Smeekens (NED), 34.901; 5. Tingyu Gao (CHN), 35.013.

1,000 m: 1. Verbij (NED), 1:08.471; 2. Thomas Krol (NED), 1:08.534; 3. Kjeld Nuis (NED), 1:08.714; 4. Kulizhnikov (RUS), 1:08.874; 5. Havard Holmefjord Lorentzen (NOR), 1:08.959. Also: 10. Joey Mantia (USA), 1:09.691; … 19. Kimani Griffin (USA), 1:11.628.

1,500 m: 1. Denis Yuskov (RUS), 1:44.957; 2. Havard Bokko (NOR), 1:46.287; 3. Min Seok Kim (KOR), 1:46.398; 4. Marcel Bosker (NED), 1:46.542; 5. Sindre Henriksen (NOR), 1:46.699. Also: 6. Joey Mantia (USA), 1:46.731.

5,000 m: 1. Sverre Lund Pedersen (NOR), 6:16.168; 2. Alexander Rumyantsev (RUS), 6:19.249; 3. Ted-Jan Bloemen (CAN), 6:20.446; 4. Marcel Bosker (NED), 6:20.654; 5. Patrick Beckert (GER), 6:21.065.

Women

500 m I: 1. Nao Kodaira (JPN), 37.254; 2. Vanessa Herzog (AUT), 37.378; 3. Angelina Golikova (RUS), 37.916; 4. Brittany Bowe (USA), 37.957; 5. Olga Fatkulina (RUS), 37.959. Also: 16. Erin Jackson (USA), 38.793.

500 m II: 1. Herzog (AUT), 37.612; 2. Golikova (RUS), 37.901; 3. Fatkulina (RUS), 38.090; 4. Kaylin Irvine (CAN), 38.214; 5. Daria Kachanova (RUS), 38.235. Also: 19. Jackson (USA), 39.112.

1,000 m: 1. Bowe (USA), 1:14.791; 2. Kodaira (JPN), 1:15.254; 3. Lotte van Beek (NED), 1:15.429; 4. Daria Kachanova (RUS), 1:15.738; 5. Herzog (AUT), 1:16.015.

1,500 m: 1. Bowe (USA), 1:55.892; 2. van Beek (NED), 1:56.132; 3. Joy Beune (NED), 1:57.151; 4. Ivanie Blondin (CAN), 1:57.349; 5. Evgeniia Lalenkova (RUS), 1:57.374.

3,000 m: 1. Martina Savilkova (CZE), 4:02.177; 2. Atalia Voronina (RUS), 4:03.766; 3. Maryna Zuyeva (BLR), 4:03.803; 4. Esmee Visser (NED), 4:04.396; 5. Melissa Wijfje (NED), 4:06.049.