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Davis Wins 1500-Meter Gold at World Single Distance Championships |
| SEOUL, South Korea, March 13, 2004 – Shani Davis
(Chicago, Ill.) gave the U.S. its second gold medal of the World Single
Distance Championships on Saturday by winning the men’s 1500 meters. It
was the third overall medal for the Americans after the second of three
days of competition. Davis skated a time of 1 minute 48.64 seconds to edge a trio of Dutch skaters, including the top two skaters in this season’s World Cup standings -- Mark Tuitert who placed second in 1:49.29, and Erben Wennemars who was third in 1:49.40. The gold medal for Davis came a day after finishing 16th in the men’s 5000 meters. "I am so happy with that race,” said an elated Davis afterwards. “It was all about recovering and re-focusing for today after yesterday's 5000. The 5k didn't go so well but I just kept telling myself to not let that affect me today.” Davis credited his teammates and coaching staff with helping him stay focused. “Thanks to all the support that my team here gave me and all the help the coaches gave me, I was able to re-focus and get on track,” Davis said. “I owe a lot of that to all the support I get and especially to (teammate) KC Boutiette who just keeps inspiring me to do better." Davis skated in the sixth of 12 pairs, which U.S. Coach Ryan Shimabukuro felt worked to his advantage. "Shani skated an amazing race,” Shimabukuro said. “He was paired early and I think really intimidated some people with the time he posted." The U.S. placed all three of its skaters in the top eight of the men’s 1500 meters on Saturday. Chad Hedrick (Spring, Texas), who won Friday’s 5000 meters, placed fifth with a time of 1:50.84, and Derek Parra (San Bernardino, Calif.) finished eighth in 1:51.13. In the ladies’ 500 meters, Elli Ochowicz (Waukesha, Wis.) placed 17th in the first race (40.40 seconds) and 16th in the second race (40.17) to finish 16th overall with a combined point total of 80.57. Julie Glass (Olympia, Wash.) was 18th overall (81.32) after placing 20th (40.70) and 18th (40.62). Chris Witty (West Allis, Wis.) placed 16th in the first 500 meters with a time of 40.13, but opted not to race the second 500 in order to save herself for Sunday’s 1000 meters. "It was a tough day for our ladies today in the 500,” said Shimabukuro. “It was decided after the first 500 that Chris Witty would withdraw in order to prepare for the 1000 meters tomorrow. She's been battling severe hip pain for the past two weeks, which has made getting into a skating position an impossible task. We thought it would be best to scratch the second race and give her a little extra time to rest." China’s Manli Wang won both ladies’ 500-meter races on Saturday, with time of 38.65 and 38.23. The ladies’ 3000 meters saw another top-10 U.S. finish as Catherine Raney (Elm Grove, Wis.) placed seventh in a time of 4 minutes 17.66 seconds. Maria Lamb (River Falls, Wis.) finished 18th in 4:24.28. Claudia Pechstein of Germany won the ladies’ 3000 meters in a time of 4:13.46. U.S. Coach Tom Cushman was pleased with the performances of the U.S. skaters on Saturday. “Three men in the top eight in the 1500 and Catherine Raney with a top-10 finish in the 3000. It was a very good day for the U.S. again today,” said Cushman. Competition concludes on Sunday with the ladies’ 1000 and 5000 meters, and the men’s 1000 and 10,000 meters. Saturday's Results Men’s 1500-meters - 1, Shani Davis, Chicago, Ill., 1 minute 48.64 seconds. 2, Mark Tuitert, Netherlands, 1:49.29. 3, Erben Wennemars, Netherlands, 1:49.40. Other Americans: 5, Chad Hedrick, Spring, Texas, 1:50.84. 8, Derek Parra, San Bernardino, Calif., 1:51.13. Ladies’ 500-meters (cumulative two-race total) - 1, Manli Wang, China, 1 minute 16.88 seconds (38.65/38.23). 2, Anzhelika Kotyuga, Belarus, 1:17.86 (39.17/38.69). 3, Hui Ren, China, 1:18.32 (39.16/39.16). Americans: 16, Elli Ochowicz, Waukesha, Wis., 1:20.57 (40.40/40.17). 18, Julie Glass, Olympia, Wash., 1:21.32 (40.70/40.62). Ladies’ 3000-meters - 1, Claudia Pechstein, Germany, 4 minutes 13.46 seconds. 2(t), Anni Friesinger, Germany, 4:13.85. 2(t), Gretha Smit, Netherlands, 4:13.85. Americans: 7, Catherine Raney, Elm Grove, Wis., 4:17.66. 18, Maria Lamb, River Falls, Wis., 4:24.28. |