KEARNS, Utah (AP) — Japan’s Nao Kodaira and Canada’s Ted-Jan Bloemen broke world records on the final day of a World Cup speed skating event at the Utah Olympic Oval on Sunday.
Kodaira finished in 1 minute, 12.09 seconds in the women’s 1000m, her third race victory in three days. U.S. Olympian Brittany Bowe held the previous record of 1:12.18 from 2015.
The Dutch-born Bloemen finished in 6:01.86 in the men’s 5000m.
Dutch skater Sven Kramer held the previous record of 6:03.32 set in 2007 but was not in Sunday’s race on “The World’s Fastest Ice,” preferring to stay in Europe to train for the Olympic Trials.
“I always looked up to that old world record,” Bloemen, who took Kramer’s 10,000m world record in 2015, said, according to the International Skating Union. “That was such an epic race and Sven was so angry. His 6:03 was so much faster than all the ties that were ever skated, and even after that race no one actually has come close.”
Now marks the first time since 1998 that no Dutch man holds the world record in an individual Olympic event. Kramer is undefeated internationally over 5000m since 2012, according to Schaatsstatistieken.nl.
“I think I would have beaten him [today],” Bloemen said, according to the ISU. “At the first three World Cups this season you saw that the momentum was on my side. I got closer every race, and I think this would have been the final blow.”
Bowe improved on a pair of 13th-place finishes in the 500m on Friday and Saturday. She finished in 1:13.55 to place sixth in the 1000m.
Seeing her world record fall broke Bowe’s heart, but she took comfort in ending the weekend with her strongest performance over three days. She showed progress after losing significant time to head injuries a year ago.
“My skating felt better,” Bowe said. “The timing felt better. I feel like I was connecting and, yeah, I definitely felt stronger than I have so far this year.”
Russia’s Denis Yuskov won the men’s 1000m in 1:06.92, a half-second off Shani Davis’ world record. Yuskov broke Davis’ eight-year-old 1000m world record Saturday.
Yuskov edged Dutchman skater Koen Verweij, who finished in 106.94. Russia’s Pavel Kulizhnikov followed in 1:06.96.
Jonathan Garcia was the top American, seventh with a personal best of 1:07.40. Joey Mantia was 10th, and Davis 12th.
Garcia came into the race with the goal of producing a top-six finish. He said his performance was about 90 percent of where he wants to be, but feels like he is on an upward trend ahead of the Pyeongchang Olympics.
Garcia’s main goal is to simply not peak too early over the next two months.
“I know myself, I’ve been skating for 23 years.” Garcia said. “I can’t maintain being my best every day for six months or two months. I really have to make sure I strategically place myself where I need to be throughout the season.”
Russia’s Natalia Voronina took the women’s 3,000 in 3:57.70. The Czech Republic’s Martina Sablikova was second in 3:57.84, and Germany’s Claudia Pechstein finished third in 3:58.69.
The weekend marked the final World Cup before the U.S. Olympic Trials from Jan. 2-7
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W杯前半戦、たくさんの応援ありがとうございました❗
— Nao Kodaira 小平奈緒【公式】🍎 (@Nao_kodaira) December 11, 2017
届かなかったところは次の滑りに繋げます👊
様々な国の選手やコーチからも祝福され、改めてスケートというスポーツに巡り会えて良かったと感じました😌💓#BozeKat#Bedankt#感謝 pic.twitter.com/ZBkuKzlFwx