By Canadian Press

Canada’s Ted-Jan Bloemen sets speedskating record at World Cup

Dec 10, 2017 | 2:30 PM

KEARNS, Utah — Canada’s Ted-Jan Bloemen set a world record Sunday on the final day of the World Cup speedskating event at the Utah Olympic Oval.

The Calgary native finished in six minutes 1.86 seconds in the men’s 5,000. Dutch skater Sven Kramer held the previous record of 6:03.32.

Germany’s Patrick Beckert was second in 6.10.80, and countryman Moritz Geisreiter followed in 6:11.47.

“That was amazing,” said Bloemen, who also holds the world record in the 10,000-metre distance. “I saw the other skaters do times of 6:07 before me, so I knew the ice was quite a bit faster than last weekend, and that maybe it was possible to beat the world record. But this fast? I didn’t expect it.”

Japan’s Nao Kodaira also set a record by finishing in 1:12.09 seconds in the women’s 1000 metres, her third race victory in three days. American Brittany Bowe held the previous record of 1:12.18. Japan’s Miho Takagi was second in 1:12.63, and Russia’s Yekaterina Shikhova followed in 1:13.23.

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Bowe improved on a pair of 13th-place finishes in the 500s. She finished in 1:13.55 to place sixth in the 1,000.

Russia’s Denis Yuskov won the men’s 1,000 in 1:06.92. 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. Garcia was seventh with a personal best of 1:07.40. Joey Mantia was 10th, and Shani Davis 12th.

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.

Ottawa’s Ivanie Blondin finished fourth to end up fourth in overall standings following the four fall World Cups. She qualified for the 3,000 for the upcoming Winter Olympics with a top-five finish and a bronze collected earlier this year.

John Coon, The Associated Press