SPEED SKATING Preview: Bowe in contention for three titles as ISU World Cup series resumes

American speed skating star Brittany Bowe

The sharpening process for the World Single-Distance Championships next week in Inzell (GER) will be in earnest at the fifth ISU World Cup in Hamar (NOR). A full program is planned at the Hamar Olympic Hall, with two 500 m races for both men and women.

The individual distance standings are close; the current situation:

Men/500 m:
1. 339 Tatsuya Shinhama (JPN)
2. 332 Pavel Kulizhnikov (RUS) ~ 2015 & 2016 World Cup Champion
3. 292 Havard Holmefjord Lorentzen (NOR) ~ Defending champion

Men/1,000 m:
1. 177 Havard Holmefjord Lorentzen (NOR)
2. 174 Kjeld Nuis (NED) ~ 2016-17-18 World Cup Champion
3. 174 Pavel Kulizhnikov (RUS) ~ 2015 World Cup Champion

Men/1,500 m:
1. 167 Seitaro Ichinohe (JPN)
2. 163 Denis Yuskov (RUS) ~ 2016 & 2018 World Cup Champion
3. 154 Kjeld Nuis (NED) ~ 2017 World Cup Champion

Men/Distance:
1. 237 Sverre Lund Pedersen (NOR)
2. 236 Alexander Rumyantsev (RUS)
3. 212 Marcel Bosker (NED)

Men/Mass Start:
1. 475 Cheonho Um (KOR)
2. 430 Bart Swings (BEL) ~ Defending champion
3. 366 Ruslan Zakharov (RUS)

Women/500 m:
1. 390 Vanessa Herzog (AUT) ~ 2018 World Cup Champion
2. 315 Olga Fatkulina (RUS) ~ 2014 World Cup Champion
3. 305 Brittany Bowe (USA)

Women/1,000 m:
1. 217 Brittany Bowe (USA) ~ 2015 & 2016 World Cup Champion
2. 202 Miho Takagi (JPN)
3. 177 Vanessa Herzog (AUT)

Women/1,500 m:
1. 217 Ireen Wust (NED) ~ 2007 & 2014 World Cup Champion
2. 211 Miho Takagi (JPN) ~ 2018 World Cup Champion
3. 210 Brittany Bowe (USA) ~ 2016 World Cup Champion

Women/Distances:
1. 250 Martina Sabilkova (CZE) ~ 11 straight World Cup crowns 2007-17
2. 239 Natalia Voronina (RUS)
3. 236 Isabelle Weidemann (CAN)

Women/Mass Start:
1. 328 Francesca Lollobrigida (ITA)~ 2014 & 2018 World Cup Champion
2. 316 Bo-Reum Kim (KOR) ~ 2013 & 2017 World Cup Champion
3. 294 Nana Takagi (JPN)

Bowe is having one of her best season and has an outside shot at winning all three titles at 500-1,000-1,500 m. One advantage: the season will end on home (U.S.) ice for her at the beginning of March, at the Olympic Oval in Kearns, Utah.

NBC’s Olympic Channel has delayed coverage of the meet on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Eastern time, and on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. Eastern time. Look for results here.