Japan’s Nao Kodaira continued her amazing streak in the 500 m in World Cup competition, completing another double in front of home fans in Tomakomai (JPN).
Kodaira, who won the Olympic gold in the 500 m in PyeongChang, has been unbeatable for more than two seasons in her specialty, going undefeated in the 2016-17 season (8 races) and last season (7 races) and now in both races in Obihiro (JPN) and at the Tomakomai Highland Sports Center.
She won the first 500 m race by almost a half-second over Vanessa Herzog (AUT) and the second over Herzog again by more than 3/10ths. That gives her 18 straight wins at the distance, but she did not stop there. Kodaira then took the 1,000 m race over American Brittany Bowe by 1:17.318-1:17.656, with Herzog third (1:17.779). It was Kodaira’s third career World Cup gold at 1,000 m.
She was the star of the first outdoor World Cup since the 2008 competition at Baselga di Pine in Italy in 2008. And the local fans had more to cheer in the men’s 500 m, as Tatsuya Shinhama won both of the men’s 500 m races as well, his first career World Cup wins.
For the U.S., Bowe had a fine meet, finishing fifth and third in the two 500 m races, second to Kodaira in the 1,000 m and then won another bronze in the 1,500 m. That gives her four medals in two World Cup meets this season!
Prize money was $1,500-1,000-800 for the top three placers, although for distances skated twice, the payment for each race is halved. Summaries:
ISU Speed Skating World Cup
Tomakomai (JPN) ~ 23-25 November 2018
(Full results here)
Men
500 m I: 1. Tatsuya Shinhama (JPN), 35.451; 2. Yuma Murakami (JPN), 35.535; 3. Jan Smeekins (NED), 35.587.
500 m II: 1. Shinhama (JPN), 35.203; 2. Viktor Mushtakov (RUS), 35.445; 3. Murakami (JPN), 35.534.
1,000 m: 1. Kjeld Nuis (NED), 1:10.453; 2. Kai Verbij (NED), 1:10.722; 3. Thomas Krol (NED), 1:10.916. Also: 8. Joey Mantia (USA), 1:12.029; … 19. Kimani Griffin (USA), 1:13.905.
1,500 m: 1. Nuis (NED), 1:47.611; 2. Patrick Roest (NED), 1:48.200; 3. Krol (NED), 1:48.393.
5,000 m: 1. Bart Swings (BEL), 6:34.857; 2. Sverre Lunde Pedersen (NOR), 6:36.865; 3. Roest (NED), 6:37.327.
Mass Start: 1. Vitaly Mikhailov (BLR), 8:06.540; 2. Cheonho Um (KOR), 8:15.940; 3. Swings (BEL), 8:16.230. Also: 11. Mantia (USA), 8:16.900.
Team Sprint: 1. Russia (Yesin, Kuznetsov, Murashov, Mushtakov), 1:23.540; 2. Netherlands, 1:23.640; 3. Canada, 1:24.230.
Team Pursuit: 1. Netherlands (de Vries, Roest, Bosker, Huizinga), 3:45.870; 2. Norway, 3:47.150; 3. Japan, 3:47.170.
Women
500 m I: 1. Nao Kodaira (JPN), 38.031; 2. Vanessa Herzog (AUT), 38.529; 3. Daria Kachanova (RUS), 38.820. Also: 5. Brittany Bowe (USA), 38.941.
500 m II: 1. Kodaira (JPN), 38.263; 2. Herzog (AUT), 38.569; 3. Bowe (USA), 38.997. Also: 10. Erin Jackson (USA), 39.482.
1,000 m: 1. Kodaira (JPN), 1:17.318; 2. Bowe (USA), 1:17.656; 3. Herzog (AUT), 1:17.779.
1,500 m: 1. Ireen Wust (NED), 1:58.742; 2. Miho Takagi (JPN), 1:59.282; 3. Bowe (USA), 1:59.828.
3,000 m: 1. Isabelle Weidemann (CAN), 4:10.185; 2. Martina Sabilkova (CZE), 4:13.005; 3. Francesca Lollobrigida (ITA), 4:13.472.
Mass Start: 1. Bo-Reum Kim (KOR), 8:52.180; 2. Lollobrigida (ITA), 8:52.250; 3. Ivanie Blondin (CAN), 8:52.260. Also: 19. Kimi Goetz (USA), 9:01.260.
Team Sprint: 1. Netherlands (Smit, de Jong, Leerdam, Beuling), 1:32.100; 2. Italy, 1:32.120; 3. Canada, 1:32.810.
Team Pursuit: 1. Japan (M. Takagi, N. Takagi, Sato, Sakai), 3:02.370; 2. Canada, 3:05.950; 3. Russia, 3:06.690.
