February 20, 2004
Post-Bormio Reflections - Refereeing
Post-Bormio Reflections - Refereeing
1500m heat: Fabio Carta asks the starter to hold his fire so he can remove an object from the ice
This morning I was thinking about the judging/refereeing in short track in general, an aspect of short track that remains pretty opaque to spectators. I think (in)consistency is a real problem in this sport, although people say it was worse in the past.
I described the questionable calls against Apolo at the time they happened. Later I spent time talking to a European coach who has issues with short track referees in general. I was surprised to hear that he believes refs make biased calls based on their nationalities. He gave a couple examples from Bormio (which I can't remember - although there was a British ref, and he said that the outcome of one call was meant to benefit a British skater).
He thought the decision to reverse the DQ of Franceschina in Apolo's 500m semifinal was outrageous and that it was done to please the locals. Apparently there is a rule that says once refs have announced to the coaches that a skater is DQ'ed, they can't reverse the DQ -- which is exactly what did happen after that 500m semi. (But this baffles me too. If that is the rule, how could a coach ever challenge a call? You can't protest a decision that hasn't been announced.)
This coach also believes that the ISU and referees try in arbitrary ways to make it difficult for coaches to challenge calls. He said in the past they did so by requiring coaches to provide a written description of which rule was broken. So rather than be caught unprepared, his solution was to prepare boilerplate copies from the rulebook of various infractions, and when he thought a call went against his skater, he simply handed the appropriate paper to the refs. He says they no longer require written documentation, but make it difficult in other ways, sometimes refusing to accept any challenges. You have to admit though that if it was open season on every unpopular decision, short track would descend into chaos pretty quickly.
I want to say that I have no reason to think the refs in Bormio were biased or unfair in any way. It's a very subjective process, which means that people will make honest mistakes. Jen and I spent a good deal of time speaking with one of the refs in Bormio, and there is no doubt in my mind that this individual wanted nothing but to ensure the fairness of the event for all of the skaters. Being a ref is in many ways a thankless task because someone is always going to be unhappy with you.
The aspect of the judging from last weekend that I find fault with was the starting. I don't know if you all were aware, watching Live CSB, how many false starts there were. Nearly every heat in the 1500m had a false start, as well as the 500m (more normal) and many of the 1000m heats as well. At one point on Sunday, Rusty remarked he'd been called for a false start 5 races in a row - from his 500m heat, quarter, semi and final the day before through to his 1000m heat. It seemed that the starter was holding all the skaters too long at the line. Having to wait a couple extra beats in the ready position while trying to anticipate the gun sets skaters up for a false start. Two (and maybe three) skaters in Bormio got DQ'ed for 2 false starts in a row, which almost never happens. It seems like the ISU could do more to ensure uniformity in these procedures so the skaters know what is expected of them from event to event, rather than being subjected to the style of whoever is pulling duty any given weekend.
Speaking of the ISU, at one point I asked someone a question that began, 'Why does the ISU...?' and got cut off. 'Why does the ISU do anything it does? No one knows!' was the wry answer I got.
This sport remains a mystery is many ways!
Posted by noelle at 10:07 AM Comments (18)
February 18, 2004
Bormio Wrapup
Bormio Wrapup
I couldn't post results from the finals while I was in Bormio. I won't post them all now, but here are some noteworthy stats from the weekend:
World Cup #6 overall classification - men
1. Apolo Anton OHNO (USA) 68 pts
2. Mathieu TURCOTTE (CAN) 55 pts
3. Steve ROBILLARD (CAN) 45 pts
4. JiaJun LI (CHN) 36 pts
5. Suk-Woo SONG (KOR) 34 pts
6. Rusty SMITH (USA) 32 pts
World Cup #6 overall classification - ladies
1. Eun-Kyung CHOI (KOR) 89 pts
2. Tianyu FU (CHN) 63 pts
3. Meng WANG (CHN) 63 pts
4. Min-Jee KIM (KOR) 55 pts
5. Marta CAPURSO (ITA) 29 pts
6. Xiaolei CHENG (CHN) 10 pts
*********
2003-04 Overall Rankings - Men
1. Hyun-Soo AHN (KOR) 198 pts
2. Suk-Woo SONG (KOR) 194 pts
3. Apolo Anton OHNO (USA) 193 pts*
4. JiaJun LI (CHN) 186 pts
5. Jonathan GUILMETTE (CAN) 184 pts
20. Rusty SMITH (USA) 126 pts
51. J.P. KEPKA (USA) 57 pts
67. Misi TOTH (USA) 30 pts
*While the race for 2nd was tight, Song had to finish lower than 6th in Bormio in order for Apolo to overtake him for 2nd overall for the season.
2003-04 Overall Rankings - Ladies
1. Eun-Kyung CHOI (KOR) 200 pts
2. Chun-Sa BYUN (KOR) 197 pts
3. Meng WANG (CHN) 191 pts
4. Tianyu FU (CHN) 188 pts
5. Amelie GOULET-NADON (CAN) 187 pts
14. Caroline HALLISEY (USA) 151 pts
19. Allison BAVER (USA) 140 pts
37. Maria GARCIA (USA) 58 pts
47. Brigid FARRELL (USA) 33 pts
*********
Yes, the ice was fast in Bormio. How fast? Four USA skaters set new personal records. Congratulations to Rusty Smith and Caroline Hallisey, who both also established new American records in the process!
- Rusty turned in a couple of personal records in Bormio. He skated his silver-medal winning 500m final Friday in 41.556. In addition, he was part of the World Record-breaking 1000m semifinal on Saturday. His time of 1:24.938 bettered his previous personal best at this distance by nearly 2.5 seconds and set a new American record in the process!
- Caroline also lowered her personal best in the 1000m with a time of 1:32.975 in her heat on Saturday. This time was fast enough for a new American record in that distance!
- Allison Baver has 2 new personal records: 45.844 seconds in her 500m heat, and 2:24.459 in her 1500m heat. The latter shattered her previous PB in the 1500m (set in Bormio in 2002) by nearly 6 seconds!
- Also getting a pair of PBs in Bormio was Maria Garcia, with a time of 45.671 in her 500m heat and 1:36.069 in her 1000m heat there.
Posted by noelle at 08:07 PM Comments (8)
February 14, 2004
North American Podium
How sweet a sight is this - an all-North American overall World Cup podium. Mathieu Turcotte, Apolo Anton Ohno, and Steve Robillard
Posted by noelle at 07:50 PM Comments (54)
Bormio Ghiaccio World Cup overall podium
Bormio Ghiaccio World Cup overall podium
Apolo heaves up his award - reportedly made of marble.
Posted by noelle at 07:48 PM Comments (28)
Top 6 Men World Cup #6
Banquet: Top 6 men for World Cup #6
counterclockwise: Apolo Ohno, Mathieu Turcotte, Steve Robillard, Rusty Smith, Suk-woo Song, Li Jiajun
I have to confess, Suk-woo Song now has at least one American fan. Not only did he manage to not beat Apolo this weekend, but he's got a great fun-loving, crowd-pleasing personality. He won me over in about 15 seconds flat tonight at the banquet. Yeah, I think the Koreans know how to have fun once they step off the ice!
Posted by noelle at 07:46 PM Comments (32)
Banquet Awards Pic
Bormio Banquet: Top 6 Men and Ladies 2003-2004
Suk-woo Song, Apolo Ohno, Hyun-soo Ahn, Ye Li, Eun-kyung Choi, Chun-sa Byun, Meng Wang, Tianyu Fu, CAN coach Martin Gagne stands in for Amelie Goulet-Nadon (though he's not quite as pretty...)
Apolo and Hyun-soo were putting all the confetti in Chun-sa's hair tonight...
Posted by noelle at 07:44 PM Comments (19)
USA Men Bronze
Men's relay bronze medalists
Apolo Anton Ohno, Mike Kooreman, J.P. Kepka, Rusty Smith
Posted by noelle at 01:37 PM Comments (32)
Bormio Day 3
Bormio Day 3: DQs and World Records Galore!
I have only a little time before the banquet so pictures will have to wait... but it was another epic day of short track here at Bormio Ghiaccio. I know everyone at home felt as deflated as we did when Apolo didn't make it past his 1000m quarterfinal. He and the Korean were both DQ'ed and the call was for cross-tracking with 5 laps to go, but again, Yuki and the coaches both reviewed the tape and disagreed with it. Some thought the call should have gone against Li Jiajun instead. In any case, Li went on to win gold and broke the 1000m world record in the process (not bad for the old guy), breaking the new WR set just moments earlier by Canadian newcomer Charles Hamelin in his 1000m semi.
This was a great weekend for Rusty also, as he competed in his second final, coming close to a second individual medal. He faced a tough heat in the 1000m final and skated a good race. J.P. had a tough time in his opening heat. I'm hazy now on the details but he got knocked far back in the pack out of qualifying position. A subsequent DQ led to his getting advanced to the next round.
The ladies also all advanced to the 1000m quarterfinals today with some strong skating. Allison seems to be using strategy to her advantage against some tough Korean and Chinese competitors. Unfortunately, she fell on her own in her 1000m quarterfinal. She's okay but was left with a headache for the remainder of the day. Caroline was also knocked out of her race when traffic impeded her progress, but with the disqualification of 2 skaters, she advanced to the 1000m semifinals.
As Yuki later told an Italian newspaper reporter, it's not enough to be good and be strong in short track, you also have to be lucky. This weekend Apolo had his fair share of bad luck, with 2 questionable calls against him yesterday and today. Some other calls brought good luck to other American skaters. Apolo certainly created his own good luck in today's 3000m. That race was an AAO special, where he appeared to be in control of the race from the gun. There was a lot of passing throughout the race, and the 3 Canadians and Song Suk-woo (KOR) all made bids to seize control at various stages, that was without doubt Apolo's race today. Although he didn't finish with a medal, it was wonderful to have Rusty in that race, adding a 2nd USA skinsuit to the pack.
The relay was of course icing on the cake - we haven't had our guys on the relay podium for a year now. They sat in second through maybe 1/3 or even 1/2 the race, with Canada far out in front. Canada has been shut out of the top podium position in the relay this season and we expected them to take it out at a fast pace. The battle for a while was with China for third until Italy suffered an unfortunate fall. Shortly after that, China took 2nd for keeps, but it was a fun race to watch, knowing it would result in a medal at the end.
With the 3000m results, Apolo became the overall winner of this world cup, with Rusty in 6th overall (equalling his performance in Marquette at World Cup #2). This wasn't quite enough for Apolo to overtake Song for 2nd overall in the season standings, but Apolo is closing this season strong, while the Koreans are starting to appear a bit less dominant than before.
Posted by noelle at 01:27 PM Comments (33)
February 13, 2004
Another great day
Another great day - Bormio Day 2
I guess we don't need to worry about qualifying for the Worlds after today, now do we?
Rusty pushes off to Apolo in today's 5000m relay semifinal
That was an un****ingbelievable relay. You guys have got to see this race, I don't care who I have to bribe or beg -- that race was amazing. As I reported earlier, moments before the relay semis, Tony had been explaining that we just had to beat Russia to secure our spot. Since our heat was against Korea, China and Russia, it seemed the best we could hope for, but I jokingly said, 'Of course we'll beat Russia. We'll beat Korea too!'
I'm so glad to have been right this time!
This race is going to add to the legend of Ohno. All of Bormio Ghiaccio was talking of it and I think everyone who was there will talk of it for years to come because of the last lap Apolo put in. Don't get me wrong. The guys skated a sold relay and spent a good third of it in second behind China, but then had a little slip which allowed Korea to overtake both teams. We stayed in the hunt but it looked as though third would be the result, locking in that spot in the Worlds. Then I don't know what happened, but Rusty exchanged to Apolo after the gun and it was like the boy sprouted wings. In one lap Apolo just exploded to the front and finished off the field, with Korea asleep at the wheel.
FIRST, BABY! We beat them ALL! Korea was subsequently DQ'ed for impeding (against Apolo) with 26 or 27 laps to go. Shockingly, Korea was shut out of everything today (no Korean men or ladies made it out of the 500m quarterfinals). We'll see the USA in tomorrow's relay final against Canada, Italy and China.
Fast but brittle: I heard that Rusty skated an 8.5 second lap today. I also heard that three ladies skated a 500m under 44 seconds, a time which apparently had previously only been achieved by Radanova. So the ice here is really fast. But just like last season in Bormio, it's suffering wear and tear, causing skaters to slip and slide (and wipe out) in 2 specific corners. If you noticed falls, or delays during the heats today, it was due to the ice or ice maintenance taking place.
P.S. Sorry to hear you lost Cyberscoreboard! Sources here in Bormio tell me that their ISP back in Boston had a hiccup for an hour and a half or so today. Pity on the timing, but it was out of the control of anyone here in Bormio.
Posted by noelle at 07:44 PM Comments (48)
conferring
Apolo and Yuki discuss the outcome of Apolo's 500m semifinal
Posted by noelle at 07:28 PM Comments (20)
500m prelim
start line, 500m prelim
Posted by noelle at 07:26 PM Comments (4)
in the heatbox
in the heatbox
Posted by noelle at 07:24 PM Comments (34)
Mens 500m Semis & final
Mens 500m Semis & final
Real quick... it was a day of mixed emotions. The awesome part was that all 3 of our guys made it to the 500m semis! Not to mention Rusty taking silver in the final. What a thrill to see him back up on the podium!
Apolo skated great throughout all his heats. Then his semi came against 1 Canadian and 2 Italians who were extremely eager to perform well on their home ice. Apolo was skating strong and in qualifying position behind the Canadian when both Italian skaters overtook him. He lost a lot of speed at that time and could not catch up with a lap to go.
I just ran into Apolo, Yuki, Tony G and Scott Koons discussing what happened. Nicola Franceschina evidently impeded on Apolo, causing contact in his pass which led to Apolo losing a lot of speed and a lot of ground. The US coaches protested afterwards, and the refs initially said Franceschina was DQed. Then they watched the tape and reversed their decision, claiming that when the contact happened, Apolo was not in qualifying position. Having reviewed their own tape, the coaches dispute this claim. Tony had out the rulebook and was going to read it back to the judges though itàs too late to change anything this time.
Rusty was great in his final! It seemed clear he was expecting to step onto the podium today = only question was which step? He was in medal position most of the race and led for a good lap or so. When Turcotte passed him there was no chance Rusty would finish less than 2nd. Rusty was pretty happy with his results and grinned from ear to ear, congratulating Turcotte and Franceschina both multiple times on the ice. Congratulations to him, itàs great to see him up on the medal stand again!
Correction to what I posted last night = Tony is now saying that the US menàs relay team has to be at least 2nd in their semi today in order to be guaranteed a berth at the Worlds. If they finish last, theyàll be 8th overall and canàt compete, unless Sweden (the host federation) chooses not to enter a relay team. In that case, the spot will go to whichever team is ranked 8th.
Posted by noelle at 12:43 PM Comments (31)
1500m podium
Men's 1500m Podium - Bormio 2/12/04
Next 3 images courtesy Bormio Ghiaccio
Silver: Song Suk-woo, Gold: Apolo Anton Ohno; bronze: Mathieu Turcotte
Posted by noelle at 05:36 AM Comments (24)
More from yesterday's 1500
More from yesterday's 1500
Tony Goskowicz on Apolo's 1500 semifinal: "With two laps to go Apolo made a pass that was really explosive. He looked a step ahead of everyone else today."
Tony on Apolo's final: "Apolo started moving up with five laps to go. He made a huge pass on the outside to go over the two Korean skaters and win the race." US Speedskating press release
******
You know, something struck me funny about the people ringing the bell yesterday, they would faintly jingle it early, then ring it loudly a lap later, but the skaters would skate 2 laps after the bell rang. According to Canadian press reports, in both the men's and ladies 1500m finals, the bell was rung 1 lap too early.
******
Apolo Ohno, as quoted by Bormio Ghiaccio yesterday: "He said ,the ice was fast and he was pleased with his result. He loves Italy, this is his fourth time to Bormio, it's a lovely place and the food is great!" I can vouch for the latter 2 items.
Posted by noelle at 05:11 AM Comments (10)
February 12, 2004
1500m heat start
Start of Apolo's 1500m Heat
Peter Darazs (HUN), Apolo Anton Ohno (USA), Matus Uzak (SVK), Andre Pulec (AUT), Pieter Gysel (BEL)
Posted by noelle at 05:27 PM Comments (16)
An amazing day!
A great day...
Sorry for the lack of updates! They're coming, I promise. Once those athletes figured out there was a computer with Internet access, I never stood a chance and I couldn't get near it again. But Apolo was masterful out there today - skating as brilliantly as he's ever skated in that last final! Unbelievable. More later, if I have any good pics. It's time for dinner now.... both our relay teams advance to tomorrow's semis, and according to Tony G. the guys at least are already guaranteed a spot at the Worlds in Sweden based on their performance in today's relay. Ciao for now!
Okay, I'm back. And I don't even know what to say about Apolo's 1500 semi and final today. They were awesome!
In both, he spent a good part of the race hanging out in the back of the pack. In his semi, he moved up with Li Jiajun, who was in front of him, till the time was right to strike. And when the time was right it was all over. Apolo finished his semi in decisive fashion, just like he did in his heat.
Apolo leaves the pack laboring in his wake - 1500m semi
Rusty had a couple of good races today, but he had a really tough semi and got bumped around a lot and just never made it into qualifying position.
In Apolo's final, he slowly moved up... passing from 6th to 5th, then passing Fabio to move into 3rd with just 2 or 3 laps to go. When the bell rang, we were screaming our lungs out, not knowing what would happen, but it was as if Apolo found a new gear at that moment, and just barreled past Turcotte and Song on the outside as though those 2 were standing still. There wasn't a thing they could do about it, but watch and marvel, given the power with which Apolo sailed past them all for the win. I found myself clutching the rail, screaming my head off as I jumped up and down. (No, we're not too shy to cheer here after all.)
Apolo slowly gains ground, having passed Carta, and stalking Turcotte, 1500 final
Later, Fabio (who had made some sweet passes of his own earlier in the race) said, 'When Apolo heard 'ding-ding-ding' it was like he just woke up, realized it was the bell lap and made his move. Apolo was TOO strong! No one had a chance.'
With this win, Apolo officially wraps up 2nd overall for the 1500m distance this season (1st to Ahn, 3rd to Song).
Results - Men's 1500m Final
1. Apolo Anton Ohno (USA) 2:17.660
2. Suk-woo Song (KOR) 2:17.798
3. Mathieu Turcotte (CAN) 2:18.035
4. Fabio Carta (ITA) 2:18.447
5. KIM ,Hyun-Kon (KOR) 2:18.667
6. Steve Robillard (CAN) 2:19.455
Posted by noelle at 02:26 PM Comments (27)
1500 heats
1500 heats
It's a large field here and the heats took a while to complete. Unfortunately none of the ladies will advance to the quarterfinals. Kristen Biondo finished a half or so lap behind the pack in her heat. Allison had an incredibly tough heat but skated a great race, close to her personal best, she says. She got bumped a bit, clipping blades with Amanda Overland and later getting hit by Amanda in her right eye (which is visibly red). Caroline looked well positioned to advance but she and Allison were both passed in their races.
Mike Kooreman skated in the first heat and his experience shined through, as he executed a lot of smooth passes and just couldnàt hold onto qualifying position through to the end. Rusty skated well and will advance. Apolo false started in his heat, so he held back a beat at the gun to stay safe and skated most of his heat in last. His heat wasnt tough but considering all the traffic he gave us a bit of a heart attack when he waited till so late to make his move. In the end it was effortless and finished miles ahead of the pack.
Apolo alone in front in the closing laps of his 1500 heat
Posted by noelle at 10:46 AM Comments (27)
February 11, 2004
Practice Day - Wednesday, Feb. 11
Practice Day, Bormio Wednesday, Feb. 11
It's great to be back in the familiar fold of Bormio Ghiaccio. This is where it all began for me - my love affair with short track! So it's amazing to come back to this place again. Everyone here is so welcoming and friendly and helpful. You can't not feel at home.
Team USA skated at 3 today. Jen and I went to watch them, followed by the Italians and the Canadians. The US practice was what we're used to - a few quick bursts of activity followed by lot of milling around on the ice. The most exciting thing to note was that Allison Baver and later Apolo removed their sweatshirts to reveal new US team practice skins: a variation of the BT - shiny silver - with star-spangled sleeves.
To be honest, we couldn't tell for sure right away whether they were stars or polka dots. And they're probably a better look for the girls than the guys. One skater told us later they don't like these new skins, and she had refused to take off her sweatshirt. The whole team also has new red USS jackets which look really sharp.
Apolo, clearly comfortable in his masculinity
We got our first glimpse of newcomer Kristen Biondo (who definitely resembles big brother Ron) and team vet Mike Kooreman, who looks solid out there (very promising for the relay!). Mike seems like a friendly guy and looks younger than his 25 years.
Apolo, Allison and Yuki arrived here from Prague in the middle of the night on Tuesday. There was some confusion with their transportation to Bormio and they wound up waiting at the airport several hours for the Canadian and Chinese teams to arrive from Prague so the bus could take them all up to Bormio. They had no complaints though, as they were able to use the time to work on their dryland technique inside the airport terminal and review videotape.
Apolo is of course really pleased with his performance in Prague and said he was very happy he made the decision to go, after at times having second-guessed his decision. Clearly it paid off for him, and he is poised to have a great competition here in Bormio, where the ice is apparently fast and he is coming off a great confidence-building weekend. Furthermore, Ahn Hyun-soo, who has already locked up the overall World Cup title this season, won't be skating this weekend.
It will take a while to become familiar with the Canadian team again. Familiar returning faces are Amanda Overland, Eric Bedard and Mathieu Turcotte. All the others are new (to us), and youngsters compared to most of the seasoned World Cup skaters from Canada. I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do this weekend. Francois-Louis Tremblay was supposed be here this weekend but he's not, and Darryl Rasmussen is skating in his place.
The Korean men were doing some highly entertaining drills before they got on the ice. The best was a team game of leapfrog (only you could see it was not a game for them) where they leaped over one another in succession. I took a mini-movie of this - I'd post if if I wasn't on dial up.
We got invited to attend the mysterious draw, which was completely underwhelming after all. They already have the skaters pre-assigned to heats (which are identified by letters starting with A). At the draw they just draw numbers out of a hat (or a velvet pouch, in this case) to determine which order each letter heat is skated in. We did get printed start lists for the 1500m, 500m, 1000m and relays, but this info is available on Cyberscoreboard by now so I won't repeat it here. Apolo's heats are all fine. Some of others drew harder starting heats - especially some of the women.
J.P. Kepka, Rusty Smith, and Mike Kooreman - I dunno about J.P.'s getup either
Posted by noelle at 06:02 PM Comments (23)
Studying heats
Apolo and Yuki study the heat sheets, Bormio Ghiaccio 2/11/04
Posted by noelle at 05:43 PM Comments (7)
February 09, 2004
Bormio World Cup Resources
Bormio World Cup Resources
World Cup #6 takes place Thursday, Feb. 12 - Saturday, February 14. It should be a great culmination to the WC circuit, with all the big guns in attendance, according to the list of competitors (and the grandiose-sounding pronouncements on the Bormio Ghiaccio news page!). Bormio Ghiaccio expects 140 athletes from 23 countries. (The heats will last forever - yay!)
There will be a USShortTrackFans.com chat to follow along with World Cup action from Italy. Join the chat here.
World Cup schedule:
Thursday: 9am ET, 8am CT, 7am MT, 6am PT
Friday: 9am ET, 8am CT, 7am MT, 6am PT
Saturday: 7am ET, 6am CT, 5am MT, 4am PT
Detailed schedule here.
- Cyberscoreboard
- Live Cyberscoreboard
- Official Event Web Site
Next time you hear from me, I'll be in Bormio. I'm hoping to update from there as much as possible, but I don't yet know the Internet situation. In the meantime, Todd is here if you need anything!
Ciao - a presto!!
Posted by noelle at 02:27 PM Comments (14)
February 08, 2004
Apolo in Prague 1
Here are 3 more pics of Apolo from Mlada Boleslav, sent in by Pavel, who was the photographer there this weekend. You can see many more of his WC photos on this web site: ehm.cz
Posted by noelle at 08:24 PM Comments (8)
Apolo in Prague 2
Posted by noelle at 08:22 PM Comments (0)
Apolo in Prague 3
Posted by noelle at 08:22 PM Comments (2)
1000m Podium - Prague
Pics of Apolo's 1000 semi and medal ceremony, fresh from Hugues' camera in Prague
Hey look! Each guy wins a case of the house wine!
Prague 1000m Medal Podium - just the way we like it
Posted by noelle at 11:51 AM Comments (56)
Start line: 1000m Semifinal, Prague
Start line: 1000m Semifinal, Prague, 2/8/04
Ohno, Song, Robillard, Franceschina
Posted by noelle at 11:50 AM Comments (3)
Ready...
Ready....
1000m semifinal - Prague 2/8/04
Posted by noelle at 11:49 AM Comments (0)
Prague Day 3 - Apolo wins gold
Prague Day 3 - Apolo wins 1000m gold and 3000m bronze; 3rd overall
one of the more bizarre finishlynx photos ever taken
1000m final: A very close finish to the men's 1000m final with lots of jockeying for position, and an unfortunate DQ for Monette -- but it's Apolo's day today. Way to serve notice, champ! Apolo knew what he was doing when he decided to go to Prague, and it sure looks like he was right!
Here's a synopsis from our Prague correspondent:
"The 1000m final was really COOL. Apolo Ohno stalked the 2 Koreans from the beginning, and Jean-Francois Monette soon took the lead, leaving the Koreans in 3rd and 4th. Apolo chased tight behind Monette and with 1 lap to go, made an outside pass, finishing off Monette without any real challenge from Ahn or Song."
1000m Final - Men
1. Apolo Anton OHNO (USA) 1:27.460
2. Hyun-Soo AHN (KOR) 1:27.738
3. Suk-Woo SONG (KOR) 1:29.759
DQ Jean-Francois MONETTE (CAN) DQ
1000m Final - Ladies
1. Eun-Kyung CHOI (KOR) 1:32.002
2. Meng WANG (CHN) 1:32.350
3. Chun-Sa BYUN (KOR) 1:32.471
4. Tianyu FU (CHN) 1:33.361
3000m final: There was a lot at stake going into this race, with Apolo and Hyun-soo Ahn tied for 1st overall with 55 points apiece. Apolo stayed within striking position, alternating 2nd, 3rd and 4th for most of the race with Ahn and Suk-woo Song. He made a move into 2nd behind Ahn with 6 laps to go. On the next to last lap, Apolo slipped behind Ahn and Song for good, ultimately finishing 3rd. Apparently aiding Ahn and Song was the 3rd Korean, Seung-jae Lee, whose role may have been to pace his teammates through the first 2/3 of the race (see the splits where Lee led much of the way, then ultimately finished last).
3000m Final - Men
1. Suk-Woo SONG (KOR) 4:51.447
2. Hyun-Soo AHN (KOR) 4:51.475
3. Apolo Anton OHNO (USA) 4:53.046
4. JiaJun LI (CHN) 5:03.022
5. Jean-Francois MONETTE (CAN) 5:05.889
6. Seung-Jae LEE (KOR) 5:19.725
You get out what you put in: What a fantastic weekend for Apolo! Though in contention for 1st overall this weekend, he wound up 3rd behind the two Koreans, who after all had both individual talent and team depth at their disposal. Apolo deserves all the credit in the world for putting his money where his mouth is, going for this World Cup with everything he had, and it paid off in spades. This weekend is his best showing all season, despite not having the help of a team and support staff. Congratulations, Apolo! And congratulations, Allison, who despite being DQ'ed in today's 1000m heat, seems to be skating with newfound aggressiveness. You guys made us proud yet again!
World Cup #5 overall classification -men
1. Hyun-Soo AHN (KOR) 76 pts
2. Suk-Woo SONG (KOR) 68 pts
3. Apolo Anton OHNO (USA) 68 pts*
4. Jean-Francois MONETTE (CAN) 52 pts
5. JiaJun LI (CHN) 29 pts
6. Seung-Jae LEE (KOR) 6 pts
*3000 race results I believe break the point tie between Song and Ohno
World Cup #5 overall classification -ladies
1. Eun-Kyung CHOI (KOR) 89 pts
2. Tianyu FU (CHN) 51 pts
3. Xiaolei CHENG (CHN) 42 pts
4. Gi-Hyun KO (KOR) 39 pts
5. Marta CAPURSO (ITA) 31 pts
23. Allison BAVER (USA) (29) pts
Season to date: Finally, this gamble paid off in the bigger picture too: heading into this World Cup, Apolo was ranked #6 overall after four World Cups (1 of which he missed). With his performance this weekend, Apolo has vaulted into 3rd overall, just 2 points behind Korean Song and 10 points behind Ahn:
Overall classification after 5 World Cups (men)
1. AHN , Hyun-Soo (KOR) 198 pts
2. SONG , Suk-Woo (KOR) 190 pts
3. OHNO , Apolo Anton (USA) 188 pts
4. GUILMETTE , Jonathan (CAN) 184 pts
5. LI , JiaJun (CHN) 181 pts
6. LI , Ye (CHN) 173 pts
7. ELEY , Jon (GBR) 149 pts
8. LEE , Seung-Jae (KOR) 144 pts
9. MONETTE , Jean-Francois (CAN) 140 pts
10. McNEE , Mark (AUS) 134 pts
Posted by noelle at 09:07 AM Comments (17)
February 07, 2004
Prague Day 2 - 500m
Prague Day 2 - 500m
Unfortunately, both Apolo Ohno and Allison Baver were eliminated today in their 500m quarterfinal races. Allison finished 4th in a very tough heat which pitted her against Chun-sa Byun (KOR), eventual silver medalist Xiaolei Cheng (CHN) and Katia Zini (ITA). She finished 14th. Apolo also drew a tough heat. Apolo didn't have a fast start off the line and was unable to pass European champ Nicola Rodigari (ITA) and eventual silver medalist Suk-woo Song (KOR). He finished in 12th.
500m world record holder Jean-Francois Monette (CAN) claimed gold in the men's 500m final. Hard to imagine, but this represents his first individual victory in World Cup competition.
Canada's Alanna Kraus was the ladies' 500m bronze medalist, in an eventful final (per Speed Skating Canada): After an initial false start, the starter’s gun malfunctioned on the second attempt but the race continued anyway.
'It was a mess,' said Kraus, forced to stop on the first corner when Marta Capurso (ITA) fell in front of her. 'The pistol clicked first then fired but it was still considered a clean start. We were pretty mad about it. I’m disappointed because I had a very good position on the line. I would have liked to see what I could have done in a clean race.'
500m Final Results - Men
1. Jean-Francois MONETTE (CAN) 41.963
2. Suk-Woo SONG (KOR) 42.057
3. JiaJun LI (CHN) 42.112
4. Haonan LI (CHN) 42.639
500m Final Results - Ladies*
1. Tianyu FU (CHN)
2. Xiaolei CHENG (CHN)
3. Alanna KRAUS (CAN)
4. Marta CAPURSO (ITA)
*times unavailable
Posted by noelle at 09:54 PM Comments (5)
Update from Prague
Update from Prague - Friday's 1500m
Here's a report from our Prague correspondent on yesterday's action:
Apolo Ohno skated a superb race, holding power in reserve. Hunting 2 Koreans from the start to break their chain, Apolo could have attacked Ahn Hyun-soo with more pressure, but at this point, Apolo needs to skate clean without DQs, and maintain himself in a striking zone, which he did well.
He is in excellent mental shape - definitely in his own zone. He is working on creating fear in the Koreans when he goes up against them. It is a mental war zone.
The Koreans' technique and strategy are unquestionably superb. What makes it exciting to watch is that AAO seems to know how to decode the Koreans' strategies.
Allison Baver skated her 1500m heat with impressive strength, forcing Amelie Goulet-Nadon to work hard. Allison led her race, with the fastest time in the heats. Her DQ was called for impeding on Amelie in the middle laps, which could easily have been avoided.
Both Apolo and Allison's morale is high this morning for the 500m race. They are again ready to go!
This weekend's competition is airing on Czech television, sponsored by Volkswagen.
Posted by noelle at 09:51 AM Comments (28)
Start line 1500 semifinal
Many thanks to Hugues for sending these 2 photos in from Prague!
The start of the 1500m semifinal in Prague, 2/6/04
Posted by noelle at 07:48 AM Comments (15)
After 1500
exiting the ice after the 1500m final in Prague, 2/6/04
Posted by noelle at 07:47 AM Comments (5)
February 06, 2004
Apolo's gamble pays off
Apolo's gamble pays off
Apolo wins silver today, improving on his 3 bronzes from World Cups #1, 2 and 4. Congratulations, Apolo! I'll just let the results speak for themselves for now (but what an exciting race!):
Results of the men's 1500m final
1. Hyun-soo AHN (KOR) 2:20.136
2. Apolo Anton OHNO (USA) 2:20.258
3. Jean-Francois MONETTE (CAN) 2:20.473
4. JiaJun LI (CHN) 2:20.594
5. Jonathan GUILMETTE (CAN) 2:21.219
6. Seung-Jae LEE (KOR) 2:21.477
7. Ye LI (CHN) 2:23.76
Results of the ladies' 1500m final
1. Eun-Kyung CHOI (KOR) 2:29.047
2. Marta CAPURSO (ITA) 2:29.156
3. Xiaolei CHENG (CHN) 2:30.457
4. Tianyu FU (CHN) 2:30.809
5. Gi-hyun KO (KOR) 2:35.765
DQ Chun-Sa BYUN (KOR) DQ
Not surprisingly, the Koreans are still strong enough to get multiple skaters into the finals, but could their iron grip on the podium be relaxing just a tiny bit at the end of the season?
Posted by noelle at 02:08 PM Comments (38)
1500 - DQs Galore
DQ's Galore (1500m Heats & Semis)
What a crazy day in Prague! DQ's all over the place for the ladies, and for the Canadians in general. Both Amanda Overland and Amelie Goulet-Nadon DQ'ed - has that ever happened? Either the refs are cracking down, or the Canadians are being less polite than usual.
The DQ's began early, with Allison Baver unfortunately disqualified in her 1500m heat, prematurely ending her racing for the day. Apolo Ohno, despite being in a stacked 1500m heat and killer semi (again facing Jeff Monette and Nicola Rodigari, among others) sailed into the final.
Apolo's semi was an exciting race. True to form for the day, one skater was DQ'ed (Suk-woo Song of Korea) leading to one of only 2 advancements today (China's Ye Li). This sets the stage for a crowded final featuring Jiajun Li (CHN), Seung-jae Lee (KOR), Monette, Ye Li, Ohno, Jonathan Guilmette (CAN), Hyun-Soo Ahn (KOR).
In a now familiar pattern, the final is a showdown among two Chinese, two Koreans, two Canucks, one lone American.
Posted by noelle at 01:45 PM Comments (48)
Prague Day 1
World Cup 5 - Updates from Prague and Canada
Update from Prague
In today's 1500m heats, Allison is in heat 4. Her main competition will be from Amelie Goulet-Nadon and Christin Priebst (GER). Apolo skates in heat 2, against a powerful lineup including Jeff Monette and Nicola Rodigari (ITA), the newly-crowned European champion.
Tania Vicent has returned to Canada to be with her gravely ill mother. Our thoughts and prayers are with Tania and her family. Amanda Overland will skate in Tania's place this weekend.
Update from Canada
I'm sure everyone is more excited and nervous than usual today, due to the unusual circumstances that find Apolo and Allison alone in Prague to compete in World Cup #5. If it's possible to root harder than usual for them as a result, then they can be sure that we are.
GO USA!
When Apolo and Allison aren't skating, I suspect many of us will be cheering for Team Canada. So here's the scoop on the Canadian team for World Cups #5 and 6.
Team Canada: Prague
Ladies: Goulet-Nadon, Overland and Alanna Kraus will skate individual (also present: Anouk Leblanc-Boucher)
Men: Jonathan Guilmette, Monette and Steve Robillard will skate individual (also present: Eric Bedard and Charles Hamelin)
After Prague, in a complex logistical feat worthy of the Pentagon (and testament to their great depth of talent), the Canadians will simultaneously:
1. Send several skaters on to Bormio (Leblanc-Boucher, Overland, Robillard, Bedard, Hamelin);
2. Send another group back home to rest up for Worlds (Guilmette, Monette, Goulet-Nadon, Kraus and Vicent);
3. Fly in a whole crop of fresh new skaters from Canada to skate in Bormio.
Team Canada: Bormio
Ladies: Overland, Leblanc-Boucher, Melanie Gagnon, Raphaele Lemieux and Chantale Sevigny
Men: Robillard, Bedard, Hamelin, Francois-Louis Tremblay, Mathieu Turcotte
Which Canadians will skate individual in Bormio is unclear, but it's virtually all new faces competing there, so this will be an interesting World Cup as we get a taste of things to come from the Canadians.
Posted by noelle at 08:15 AM Comments (3)
February 04, 2004
Allison Baver in Prague
Update from Prague
More great news - Allison Baver is in Prague, having arrived there today, and she will also compete this weekend at the World Cup! Moreover, it seems that Allison and Apolo were both able to line up two different private sponsors to finance their trips to this competition. Way to go, Apolo and Allison - much love and support from all your OZ fans this weekend! Good luck to both of you, we'll be cheering you on!
Posted by noelle at 04:28 PM Comments (40)
February 02, 2004
Calgary World Cup - 1500m final
Video Clip: Calgary World Cup - 1500m final
Download here, then remember to change file extension from .clip to .wmv. Enjoy!
Posted by noelle at 08:24 PM Comments (29)
January 30, 2004
Apolo Going to Prague
Apolo Ohno to Compete at World Cup #5
Exciting news! Apolo will compete at World Cup #5 next weekend in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic. He is financing this trip entirely on his own. Being able to compete at the final 2 World Cups of the season is very important to Apolo after having to skip World Cup #3 last November. Unfortunately, the remainder of the U.S. team will compete only at World Cup #6, as previously announced, due to the funding shortfall at US Speedskating.
Posted by noelle at 08:34 PM Comments (0)
January 26, 2004
Apolo 1500 final Calgary
Video Clip: 1500 final, Calgary World Cup
part 1 of 2
Thanks to Janet, Maggie, Myl讥 and Sonia!
Posted by noelle at 05:33 PM Comments (0)
December 08, 2003
China World Cup
Another shot from the Beijing World Cup
image courtesy Chinese Skating Ass'n
Larger size and more photos from Beijing available at
http://www.chn-st.org/20032004Wcup04/20032004Wcup04.htm
Posted by noelle at 09:45 PM Comments (9)
Beijing 3000
Another shot of the 3000 from Beijing
via sports.sina.com
Posted by noelle at 09:30 AM Comments (55)
December 07, 2003
Doing battle in the 3000
Battling it out in yesterday's 3000 in Beijing
via sports.sina.com
Posted by noelle at 10:54 AM Comments (36)
World Cup #4 Day 3
World Cup #4 Day 3: 1000, 3000 and Relay Finals
I'm really tired and the Live Cyberscoreboard died in the middle of the Apolo's 1000 semifinal, so I'll try (and probably fail) to make this brief.
1000: The ladies faced stiff competition from the get-go in their 1000 heats. Maria Garcia skated a strong race but ultimately failed to advance, while Caroline Hallisey and Allison Baver both made it to the quarterfinals where they found themselves in killer heats. Neither skater advanced to the semis. The 1000 final was won by Korean Byun Chun-sa, with teammate Choi Eun-kyung in 2nd and Wang Meng (CHN) 3rd.
Rusty Smith's tradition of bad luck draws continued with a tough 1000 heat. Unfortunately, he was just edged out for 2nd place and qualifying position by Eric Bedard (CAN). J.P. Kepka met a similar fate in his heat, leaving Apolo as the only American on the men's side to continue to the quarterfinals, where he once more faced down Ahn Hyun-soo (KOR) to finish first.
The semifinal may as well have been a final, with Apolo, Ahn, Song Suk-woo (KOR) and Jeff Scholten (CAN) all vying for the top 2 spots. This is where Live CSB croaked, so all we know is that Apolo finished 3rd on the wrong side of the Korean wall, and thus didn't advance to the 1000 final. The usual suspects (3 Koreans, 2 Canadians) made up the final, with Koreans Kim Hyun-kon and Ahn taking 1st and 2nd respectively, and Eric Bedard finishing third. Jonathan Guilmette (CAN) was 4th, once again just missing a spot on the podium, while Korean Song Suk-woo was DQ'ed.
3000: The same lineup of ladies who took medals in the 1000 also won the 3000m, but this time Choi took 1st, with teammate Byun 2nd, and China's Wang Meng 3rd. Those whose Live Cyberscoreboards were functioning reported that Apolo was in 3rd or 4th place throughout most of the 3000, but ultimately the impregnable Korean wall prevailed, as Ahn, Song, and Kim took the top 3 spots, with Apolo finishing a very solid 4th. The 3 Canucks in the race (Guilmette, Bedard and Scholten) finished 5th, 6th, 7th respectively, and Japan's Takafumi Nishitani brought up the rear.
Relays: I don't really know what happened with the ladies due to technical problems, but Korea took gold, China silver, and the Canadian squad won bronze. The men's relay final was an exciting contest, with the U.S. men in great medal position for much of the race, seemingly poised for bronze, and possibly silver. When the Korean squad was reported to be in 4th place, there wasn't a wet eye in the house. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter the Americans appeared to suffer a fall with 14 laps to go and did not regain their medal position. Hometown favorites China got gold, Canada silver, and Korea bronze.
Overall classification for World Cup #4:
Ladies (with points)
1 BYUN, Chun-Sa KOR 89
2 CHOI, Eun-Kyung KOR 76
3 WANG, Meng CHN 68
4 RADANOVA, Evgenia BUL 24
5 WILLIAMS, Joanna GBR 8
6 GOULET-NADON, Amelie CAN (162)
Men (with points)
1 AHN, Hyun-Soo KOR 89
2 SONG, Suk-Woo KOR 76
3 KIM, Hyun-Kon KOR 47
4 OHNO, Apolo Anton USA 29
5 GUILMETTE, Jonathan CAN 26
6 SCHOLTEN, Jeff CAN 23
Overall classification after 4 World Cups (with points)
1 AHN , Hyun-Soo KOR 196
2 GUILMETTE , Jonathan CAN 184
3 LI , Ye CHN 173
4 ELEY , Jon GBR 149
5 SONG , Suk-Woo KOR 141
6 OHNO , Apolo Anton USA 140
(Top 4 have skated in 4 World Cups; Song and Ohno have skated in only 3)
*****
More info:
- Korea Times: S. Korea Win 4th Short Track World Cup Event
- China View: Li helps China win relay gold
Posted by noelle at 03:00 AM Comments (57)
December 06, 2003
World Cup #4 Day 2: 500 and Relay Semis
World Cup #4 Day 2: 500 and Relay Semis
It was a wild day at the races, with plenty of DQ's to go around!
Ladies' 500m
Caroline Hallisey was once again the only U.S. lady to advance out of her heat, making it to the quarterfinals, where she finished third. Maria Garcia endured difficulties, with "three re-starts of her 500-meter heat after she fell or was taken out three consecutive times off the starting line," according to US Speedskating. The ladies' quarterfinals were pretty wild, with 2 DQ's each in quarterfinal 1 and 2, including that of world champion Choi Eun-kyung (KOR), followed by the DQ of her teammate Byun Chun-sa in quarterfinal heat 3. Two more DQ's followed in ladies' semifinal #1, resulting in the elimination of Amelie Goulet-Nadon (CAN) and the surprise qualification of Great Britain's Joanna Williams for the 500 final. The final turned into a hometown crowd-pleaser, with Meng Wang (CHN) taking first, teammate Tianyu Fu second and Evgenia Radanova (BUL) third. Check out the close finish!
See also Chinese Wang Meng crowned at short track World Cup (via Xinhuanet)
Men's 500m
The U.S. men got off to a strong start, with all three advancing to the quarterfinals as Rusty Smith and Apolo (starting from lane 5) won their respective 500 heats, and J.P. Kepka (also starting from lane 5) second in his. Canadians Jeffrey Scholten, Eric Bedard and Jonathan Guilmette all won their respective heats.
Apolo won his quarterfinal, with Ahn Hyun-soo (KOR) 2nd, followed by Eric Bedard. (FinishLynx photo here)Unfortunately, luck changed for the rest of the American men, as J.P. was DQ'ed (resulting in the advance of Guilmette) and Rusty finish 3rd behind Song Suk-woo (KOR) and Li Jiajun (CHN). Check out the wild FinishLynx photo from J.P.'s quarterfinal of Guilmette splayed out on all fours.
Things really got interesting in the semifinals. The deck was loaded for semi #1, with Jonathan Guilmette, Apolo (again starting from lane 5), and Takafumi Nishitani (JPN) finishing in that order, while Ahn and Li were both eliminated after being DQ'ed. Five skaters competed in the final, with a lot of jockeying for position, as usual. Apolo was in second briefly but did not hold on and finish fourth in a very tight race behind Song, former 500 world record-holder Scholten, and Nishitani. Guilmette was 5th. Check out the close finish.
Said USS: "Ohno, skating in third position, swung wide to set up a pass but... Nishitani was quick on his feet and took control of the third spot forcing Ohno into fourth for the remainder of the race. 'Ohno could have stayed where he was, skated a defensive track and finished with a bronze easily,' said U.S. Coach Scott Koons. 'But he took the chance and went for the gold and got caught this time. I'd much rather see him make a move for the gold than be satisfied with bronze.' "
Relays
In their relay semifinal, the U.S. men traded leads with Canada back and forth a few times till with ~20 laps to go, the U.S. was overtaken by Japan and fell into third. USA and Japan then traded 2nd and 3rd several times until three laps to go, when the Americans clinched second place behind Canada. USS said: "Twice, Japan opened up a gap on the U.S., and twice Smith reeled them back. The first time he caught Nishitani and the second time he gave Ohno a great push to put the U.S. in second position with two laps to go. Ohno took three crossovers going into the corner and then put the hammer down to qualify the American team in a time of 6:54.427." The American men thus advance to the relay final for the first time this season.
The U.S. ladies finished third in their relay semifinal and won't advance to tomorrow's final.
See also Day 2 press release (via US Speedskating)
Full results are available at Cyberscoreboard
*****************
NOTE: Live Cyberscoreboard coverage begins tomorrow at 11:50AM local time in Beijing (10:50PM ET/09:50PM CT/08:50PM MT/07:50PM PT).
Posted by noelle at 04:37 AM Comments (11)
December 05, 2003
World Cup #4 Day 1
World Cup #4 Day 1: 1500 and Relay Heats
(Updated 11:50am ET)
The Koreans (and to a lesser extent, the Chinese) dominated a small field on the opening day in Beijing. In the ladies 1500, Caroline Hallisey was the only American to make it to the semifinals, where she finished 5th. No Canadian ladies made it out of the semifinals either, making for a North America-free 1500 final. The Korean ladies continued their recent domination with a sweep of the medals in the final.
Things were a little more interesting on the men's side, with a few DQ's early on. Unfortunately, Rusty Smith was one of them, after making a late move to finish second in his heat (it was unclear what the infraction was). Things got really interesting when Kim Hyon-kon (KOR) and Li Jiajun (CHN) tied for second in their semifinal, with matching times of 2:16.728, qualifying both for the final. The final was loaded, with three Koreans, two Chinese, Apolo, and Jo Guilmette. Leads changed with every lap as skaters jockeyed for position. Apolo had his work cut out for him, and finished a very respectable third behind Korea's Ahn Hyun-soo and Song Suk-woo.
USA faced Canada, Japan and Poland in their relay heat. Canada's lead was never challenged. The USA men steadily worked their way up from 4th to 3rd, to briefly pass into second. Japan quickly overtook them again for the last third or so of the race until Apolo squeezed ahead in the last lap for the 2nd place finish, qualifying the U.S. for tomorrow's relay semifinals. Complete results at Cyberscoreboard
Update - US Speedskating has additional info in a press release today:
- Ohno advanced to the [1500] final after finishing second in a difficult semi-final. In the finals, he raced from the back of the pack and made a pass near the end to edge Canada's Jonathan Guilmette (2:11.898) for third place.
- [Rusty] Smith was disqualified for charging in his heat.
- Ohno had a bad slip during the relay and nearly hit the boards, but managed to stay on his feet and chase down the Japanese team. He then made a nice pass on Japan's Satoru Terao with half a lap remaining to clinch second place for the U.S. Read full press release
Posted by noelle at 02:44 AM Comments (27)
November 30, 2003
Apolo listens to Yuki from the heat box
Apolo listens to Yuki from the heat box
Posted by noelle at 06:53 PM Comments (27)
Korean World Cup, Day 3
Korean World Cup, Day 3
Well, the Korean ladies cleaned up yesterday, sweeping the medals in the 1000 and 3000 and winning the relay. The Canadian ladies unaccountably finished last.
As we know, the Canadian men were already out of the relay final, but the Korean men continued not to dominate yesterday on their home ice. Best news of the day (IMO): Italian men's silver medal in the relay, which was won by the Chinese men. Check out the FinishLynx photo for some happy skaters.
***
(On edit) Radio-Canada on 'The Korean Armada' of three skaters facing Amelie Goulet-Nadon in her 1000 final:
" The 20 year old [Amelie Goulet-Nadon] was shut out in the [1000m] final by a trio of Korean skaters working in tight collaboration. 'It's difficult when there are two Koreans in a race, but with three, they are completely impossible to pass.'
"Goulet-Nadon explained that they 'tighten' their elbows and that you'd have to fly over them in order to pass them. 'I'm happy with my race. Under the circumstances, I did the best I could,' [said Amelie.] "
***
Coverage from the Korean press:
Korea Times: Choi Eun-kyung Stands Out at Short-Track Worlds
Donga.com: Choi Eun-kyung Wins Three Short Track Races
Posted by noelle at 10:20 AM Comments (19)
November 29, 2003
Korea World Cup Day 2
A Great Day for the Canucks at Korea World Cup Day 2
500 finals: It was an interesting day in Jeonju yesterday, as the hosts were unexpectedly shut out of the medals in the 500. Amelie Goulet-Nadon won the 500 gold, and right behind her for silver was Russian up-and-comer Tatiana Borodulina, winning only her 2nd individual medal in World Cup competition. Borodulina is a really exciting skater to watch, and gets more than her fair share of DQ's. She's been fortunate with the calls this weekend (her DQ in the 1500 was overturned, and last night she advanced to the final after the Chinese skater in her 500 semifinal was DQ'ed).
On the men's side, it was there for the Canadians' taking as all three men advanced to final, rounded out by Li Jiajun, who won the race. Mathieu Turcotte seems to have fallen, but no call was made, leaving his teammates to capture silver and bronze.
500 Final - Ladies
1 GOULET-NADON , Amelie CAN 46.221
2 BORODULINA , Tatiana RUS 46.311
3 FU , Tianyu CHN 46.331
Check out the times and the FinishLynx image to see how tight this race was!
500 Final - Men
1 LI , JiaJun CHN 43.418
2 GUILMETTE , Jonathan CAN 43.599
3 MONETTE , Jean-Francois CAN 43.692
Relays: The Canadian men are out of today's 5000 relay final after being disqualified in semifinal action yesterday. The final pits CHN, ITA, KOR and GBR against each other. The ladies' relay final will be an exciting matchup among CAN, CHN, ITA and KOR.
Posted by noelle at 11:28 AM Comments (15)
Saturday News
China Daily: Beijing hosts skating meet
Posted by noelle at 11:00 AM Comments (4)
November 28, 2003
Today's News Roundup
Today's News Roundup
People's Daily:
- Top skaters to compete at Beijing leg of World Cup short track
Korea Times:
- Short-Track Meet Gets Under Way; Ohno a No-Show
- S. Korea in Golden Start at Short Track World Cup
Posted by noelle at 09:57 AM Comments (1)
November 23, 2003
Korea Times Editorial
Here's a welcome editorial from the Korea Times. (Unfortunately, the author is not a Korean). Here are some excerpts:
Oh No, Not Again, by Eoghan Sweeney, Sports Editor
The self-appointed but anonymous guardians of the honor of Korean sport who have waged a campaign of abuse and intimidation against Apolo Anton Ohno will no doubt believe they have achieved something with the United States short-track speed skater’s announcement that he will not participate in the upcoming leg of the World Cup in Chonju. Ohno’s withdrawal has prompted the entire U.S. team to drop out, robbing the meet of some of its star performers.
It is, of course, as any rational person can see, a public relations disaster for Korean sport and for the country’s image as a whole.
Plenty of Koreans with whom I have discussed this issue find it embarrassing that an incident which in many countries would spark intense but short-lived anger had become almost a national obsession. On more than one occasion, I have heard it attributed to ``pihae uishik,’’ roughly translated as ``persecution complex.”
There is, happily, an understanding among most of my acquaintances that the Australian judge involved in the controversy did not go to the track that day determined to do his best to do harm to Korea.
During the 2002 World Cup, The Korea Times sports department, along with other Korean media, was bombarded with abusive emails, having defended the South Korean team against claims that they were benefiting from favorable refereeing. Many Koreans were shocked at the tone of the abuse and expressed doubts as to the sanity of those responsible.
This should have been a learning experience, an opportunity to reflect on the hysterical response to the Salt Lake City disappointment. Many, however, seem to have failed to draw any lesson from the obvious parallels.
The country is currently planning a bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympics. It would be extremely embarrassing, and harmful to the future of international sports in South Korea, if the country were to earn a reputation as a place where athletes are only welcome if they are popular with the locals.
Posted by noelle at 11:26 AM Comments (29)
Korea Times article
Here is a Korea Times article reporting the news that Apolo and the U.S. team won't come to Korea:
Ohno, US Team Pull Out of World Cup Meet
Posted by noelle at 10:05 AM Comments (7)
November 21, 2003
U.S. Short Track Team Will Not Compete at Korea World Cup Event
U.S. Short Track Team Will Not Compete at Korea World Cup Event
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., November 21, 2003 - Citing concern for their safety and in the wake of Apolo Anton Ohno's decision earlier in the day to withdraw from the event, the U.S. Short Track World Cup Team has decided not to participate in the Nov. 28-30 event in Dechoun, Korea. The majority of the eight team members decided not to compete during a team meeting Friday afternoon.
The decision comes after several threatening messages mentioning Ohno and originating in Korea were posted on Internet message boards during the past two weeks. As a result, U.S. Speedskating officials worked together with the Korean Skating Federation in an attempt to ensure the safety of the entire U.S. contingent.
"There was substantial security concerns surrounding Apolo and the majority of the other athletes did not feel safe in competing at the event," said U.S. Speedskating Executive Director Katie Marquard. "Unfortunately, due to the nature of the plane tickets we booked as a group, we cannot split the group up. Therefore, no one from the U.S. team will be attending the World Cup in Korea."
The U.S. team was to leave for Korea on Sunday. The team will next travel to Beijing, China, for the World Cup event on December 5-7.
###
Posted by noelle at 09:28 PM Comments (52)
Apolo Statement about Korea
"It is with great sadness and regret that I am announcing my withdrawal from the World Cup stop in Korea. Although The Korean Skating Federation has proposed a security plan in great detail, it has become obvious to myself and those that I trust, that my security cannot be guaranteed. It is unfortunate that a few people feel the need to make death threats against me. I am an athlete, not a politician. Cyber terrorism is every bit as dangerous and wrong as any other type of terrorism. Without the arrest of the criminals making these threats against me, I see no other choice but to not compete at this World Cup event."
Apolo Anton Ohno November 21, 2003
Posted by noelle at 07:43 PM Comments (54)
Press Reports
Press Reports
via KING5.com
- Seattle's KING5 TV: Ohno withdraws from World Cup due to death threats - article + video (contains quotes from Yuki and Rusty - registration required)
- ESPN.com: Salt Lake incident still rankles
- AP: Ohno withdraws from World Cup due to death threats
Posted by noelle at 07:40 PM Comments (6)
Big in Korea
We're big in Korea!
Donga.com has done a follow up article regarding the story about Kim Dong-sung buying Apolo a bibimbob. It seems they have been closely following our conversation about the article here on OZ. They specifically quoted several of our remarks as well as those of some of our Korean visitors (they confused some of the names, but that's okay). Kim Dong-sung’s Bibimbob? Thanks!
Posted by noelle at 12:11 PM Comments (18)
November 19, 2003
donga. com article - KDS
Wow, the press coverage is coming thick and fast today. I think a few things got lost in the translation, but here is an encouraging, honest article about Kim Dong-sung. It would be good if more Korean skaters could speak out with words of welcome and respect for Apolo.
Kim Dong-sung:"I Will Meet Ohno and Buy Him Bibimbob"
via donga.com
"“I have to go to Jeonju. I’ll meet Ohno and buy him a Jeonju bibimbob,” [said Kim Dong-sung.] "Now I can meet Ohno and feel at ease." Full article
Posted by noelle at 10:38 AM Comments (159)
Korea Times article
oh my god in heaven. Never did I think I'd find myself in a position to report on... myself.
Korea times: Ohno Threats May Lead to Action by FBI
"The flurry of threats and abuse aimed at United States short track speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno may lead to the involvement of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), according to the manager of an official Ohno fan site (www.ohnozone.net)." Full article
Posted by noelle at 08:24 AM Comments (22)
November 18, 2003
Welcome mat pulled for Ohno
THANK GOD! Someone is starting to pay attention in the mainstream media.
USA Today: Welcome mat pulled for Ohno
"Against a backdrop of Internet death threats and a Korean newspaper report calling him "the most-hated athlete in South Korea," U.S. short-track speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno is asking for security assurances before he decides to compete at a Nov. 28-30 World Cup event in Jeonju City, South Korea.
"My dream has always been to just train for the Olympics, be on the ice, compete the best I can, represent the United States of America to my fullest in every single race," says Ohno. "I'm an Olympic athlete who is just pursuing my dreams and representing my country in these World Cups." Full article
***
Posted by noelle at 11:32 PM Comments (103)
October 28, 2003
World Cup Reflections
Share your World Cup memories/thoughts/reflections
I received a request to create a special thread for all the Marquette returnees. Trade stories and relive your Calgary and/or Marquette experiences here!
Posted by noelle at 03:53 PM Comments (77)
October 27, 2003
Apolo receives his check
Apolo receives his check from Chief Referee Charles Veldhoven and USOEC Director Jeff Kleinschmidt
Posted by noelle at 03:41 AM Comments (6)
Banquet 4
l-r: Evgenia Radanova (BUL), Chun-Sa Byun (KOR), Amélie Goulet-Nadon (CAN), Eun-Kyung Choi (KOR), Rusty Smith (USA), Mathieu Turcotte (CAN), Apolo Anton Ohno (USA), Seung-Jae Lee (KOR), Hyun-Soo Ahn (KOR)
not pictured: Éric Bédard (CAN), Meng Wang (CHN), Alanna Kraus (CAN)
Posted by noelle at 03:40 AM Comments (17)
October 26, 2003
Marquette Day 3 Wrapup
Marquette Day 3 Wrapup
Rusty Smith press conference
Wow, it's hard to believe it's all over. Although today didn't exactly go the way we would have liked, there was one positive turn of events announced during the relays. Rusty's DQ was reversed, and he was awarded third place in the 3000, which moved him up from 6th to 5th overall for this World Cup. Unfortunately, Apolo's DQ in the same race cost him 2nd overall. Still, isn't it awesome to have two Americans among the top 6 men?
Rusty had a press conference after the day's racing. I asked him about the reversal of his DQ for cross-tracking. They had announced that Rusty was DQ'ed for cross-tracking, but later they changed their minds and said it was for impeding instead. When questioned, the refs couldn't say at what point of the race the impeding occurred (they said with 3 laps to go, a point in the race when Rusty wasn't near any other skaters) or on whom he impeded. As a result, the refs decided to reverse themselves. Sounds like a good call!
Amélie Goulet-Nadon and Éric Bédard press conference
Posted by noelle at 05:30 PM Comments (20)
1000 Final
1000 Final
What happened out there? It was an amazing, exciting race, with Rusty out front, Apolo in third and a Korean between them. I believe Apolo had moved into second behind Rusty and was about to make a move to pass Rusty when he apparently slipped and fell. It was pretty stunning to see it happen, since there was no apparent contact, and Apolo just doesn't fall on his own like that. He lay there for a second I think as stunned as the rest of us were, then got up and finished his race. Rusty finished 4th so the U.S. is out of the money this time I'm afraid.
Posted by noelle at 01:56 PM Comments (11)
1000m Semifinals
1000m Semifinals - new World Record!
The men's semifinals were amazing! We'll have 2 Americans in the final as Rusty and Apolo both will advance. In addition, Apolo's semifinal just set a new world record in the 1000. The top 3 finishers (Lee of Korea, Apolo and Guilmette of Canada) all broke the existing record. This is some fast ice in Marquette!
The semifinal was amazing, with 2 Koreans setting the extremely fast pace, which seems to be their tactic. Apolo made an early attempt to pass from 3rd to 2nd but couldn't get around them till a couple laps later. He's been doing an amazing job in breaking through the Korean walls in these semifinals and finals.
Posted by noelle at 01:24 PM Comments (2)
Mens 1000 Quarters
Mens 1000 Quarters
The 1000 quarterfinals were awesome!!
Apolo, Jo Guilmette and Fabio duked it out for the top 2 spots. Fabio unfortunately won't move on to the semis. Rusty had an amazing quarterfinal as well, and the last men's quarter was wild, and exciting, with 2 DQ's. The legendary Li Jiajun seems to get DQ'ed as often as he wins!
Fabio, Apolo, Jo surge through their 1000 qtr
Apolo takes the lead in his 1000 quarter
Posted by noelle at 01:00 PM Comments (2)
Ladies 1000 Heats
Ladies 1000 Heats
Bridie skates in her heat
The ladies' 1000 heats just concluded. Bridie Farrell skated today in place of Maria Garcia, who is apparently suffering from a slight concussions she sustained in a fall the other day. (Maria skated the relay yesterday with a concussion since there was no alternate available to take her place.)
Bridie and Allison both had great heats today against some stiff competition. Both ladies finished in second, qualifying them to move on to the quarterfinals. Caroline skated strong but finished her heat out of qualifying position.
Posted by noelle at 11:35 AM Comments (1)
October 25, 2003
USS Article on 500 M Race
From US Speedskating:
Ohno Wins 500-meter Event at World Cup
"I wasn't planning on going from start to finish in first," said Ohno. "In the 500, you race the first half lap hard and it just happened that I was able to stay in front the entire way. I was bumped in the second to last turn and was able to stay on my feet."
"Apolo controlled the race perfectly today," said U.S. National Coach Tony Goskowicz. "He didn't go all out at the start, and he hit the brakes a little bit when he had to so China's Li Jiajun couldn't pass. Then once he got over the top it was all over." Read more
Posted by noelle at 09:53 PM Comments (2)
500 Final
Sweet Victory!
Ahn, Ohno, Lee
Apolo is back where he belongs on the top spot of the podium -- best of all, in the 500! WAY TO GO, Apolo!
I wish all of you could have seen it in person, and heard and felt the energy and excitement of the crowd. Apolo had us all on our feet, screaming, jumping up and down. After he won he circled the rink slapping our hands. Yeah, he's happy!
Posted by noelle at 04:40 PM Comments (20)
500 Semis
The 500 semi was amazing. Apolo was in total control for most of the race. Li Jiajun made an awesome pass to take the lead and then Eric Bedard (CAN) also slipped by with less than a lap to go. Apolo was pushed to the outside and fourth position. He eased up at that point, as he must have known that Bedard would be DQ'ed for impeding.
What a final! Ohno, Ahn (KOR), Lee (KOR), Li (CHN) and Terao (JPN) -- really happy to see Terao make the final~!~
Posted by noelle at 03:51 PM Comments (1)
500 Prelims
500 Prelims
These were pretty uneventful till Rusty's heat. Then there was a 3-man pileup going into the last lap, and the refs stopped the race. I've never seen that happen before. The French skater at the bottom of the pile was taken off the ice in a stretcher and meanwhile the others had to skate aimlessly, trying to keep warm, while waiting for the race to be re-run. Rusty seems to have more than his fair share of unlucky race circumstances. I really felt badly for all of them to have to re-run the race. In any case, both Rusty and Apolo will both advance.
Posted by noelle at 01:43 PM Comments (2)
October 24, 2003
US Men in Relay Semis
US Men to Skate in Relay Semis on Saturday
Not sure if those watching at home are aware that the U.S. men will skate in tomorrow's relay semifinals in spite of their third-place finish tonight. They were one of the two fastest third-place teams, which qualifies them to advance.
The bad news is that they drew another tough heat, against Korea, Canada and Japan.
Posted by noelle at 10:30 PM Comments (1)
1500 Final
1500 Final - Apolo wins bronze
Updated
Three Koreans in both the men's and ladies' final. You know what that means! Amelie Goulet-Nadon tried to break through that wall and succeeded briefly but then lost her position.
Apolo knew from the beginning what he was facing, and that he was pretty much alone in challenging a team of 3 Koreans. He skated with such heart and kept the three apart through most of that race. He constantly fought back and kept himself between the three of them, and the passes he made were amazing. He looked solid for a gold or silver, but maybe the non-stop effort of punching holes in the Korean wall did him in, because he was passed in the last 2 laps by the field. Crossing the line in 4th and with the DQs of 1 Korean and Li Jiajun (CHN) Apolo once again receives 1500 bronze.
Bravo Apolo on an extremely courageous race!! Apolo won the medals for everyone in that race.
Exciting notes:
1) Ahn set a NEW WORLD RECORD of 2:10.639 here in Marquette, in one of his heats, beating the mark currently held by Steve Robillard (CAN).
2) Apolo set a new American record tonight in the 1500, beating Alex Izykowski's record with a time of 2:11.280.
Posted by noelle at 08:56 PM Comments (13)
1500 Semis
1500 Semis
Apolo raced another awesome 1500 and played it safe at the end to qualify for the final behind Lee (KOR). He made a great pass with about 5 laps to go which had the crowd on its feet. Rusty too made an amazing pass with 4 laps to go in his semi to pass from 4th to 2nd, but it may have been just a bit too early as he was then passed with 2 laps to go and finished out of qualification. Fabio met a similar fate in his semifinal.
The ladies skated solid races but won't qualify for the final. I didn't see what Allison did that disqualified her in her race.
Posted by noelle at 08:15 PM Comments (0)
1500 Heats
1500 Heats
The ladies' and men's heats just concluded. Unfortunately, JP fell in his heat - not too sure what happened there - and Maria, who started strong, won't advance. Allison Baver finished third in her heat and will advance. Caroline qualified in second in her heat.
Apolo and Rusty both skated great heats. Apolo skated in last through most of the race before making his move with 4-5 laps to go and finished first. He was in command the whole way. Rusty came from behind after a couple passing maneuvers to finish second. Fabio Carta also skated from behind and finish second in his heat. He's also got his own cheering section here (mostly us OZers!).
Posted by noelle at 07:37 PM Comments (6)
October 19, 2003
Our own private press conference
What Apolo had to say...
Apolo came and chatted with Erina, Joanna and me a few minutes ago. He doesn't sound too disappointed with this weekend, and noted that the Koreans all come out very strong the first WC of the season because they resume training as soon as they get home from Worlds. Apolo just said that more training for him and the U.S. team is needed.
I asked him who he saw as his main competition this season, and he mentioned the usual suspects - Korea, Canada and China. He mentioned Li Jiajun and said he wasn't sure what was going on with him since he had a surprisingly weak performance this weekend.
He was happy with the ice here, as always, and was amazed by Monette's performance in the 500 on Sat. He really hoped everyone had a good time this weekend in spite of less than stellar results from Team USA, and he was really excited to hear about how many fans are expected next weekend in MQT. The team leaves very early tomorrow morning for MQT and will arrive very late at night. (Sounds familiar!)
I asked Apolo for predictions of the World Cup team after the trials in Nov. but he wasn't willing to say who he thought it would be, beyond himself and Rusty, since they both have byes.
Apolo is eager to review tape of his 1000 final. What looked to me like obvious impeding by Apolo may not have been, as Yuki said he looked at the tape and thinks Apolo made a clean, inside pass, but Ahn was the one who initiated contact by moving out his arm in some way. So I think that is Apolo's biggest disappointment of the weekend. He also said the 500 was a disappointment also, as he knew he was capable of doing more.
Apolo mentioned that the facility in Marquette has concrete behind the pads, rather than the usual wooden boards, so there is a greater fear of falling there than here in Calgary.
Posted by noelle at 07:10 PM Comments (11)
1000 and 3000 Final
1000 and 3000 Final
Well, it's just not our day or weekend. Apolo skated well in the 1000 but he was DQ'ed with an obvious move on Ahn. It was exciting to watch him skate that race but the knowledge of what was to come made it kind of hollow.
The 3000 started off with a bang as Monette and Lee immediately went to the front and lapped the pack. Apolo's strategy seemed to be to stay with Ahn for 3rd place and in the last few laps it looked as though Apolo had it. He made some great passes during that race, but Ahn took the lead back with a lap to go.
Team skating could be a factor here too with both Koreans in the race, one started off fast with the pack-lapping strategy, the other stayed with the pack, and they got their first and third. The Canadians hedged their bets in a similar fashion, although past experience makes you suspect that one team had a plan in place.
The ladies' 3000 was the opposite of the men's. It started off in slow motion and was recalled after a couple of laps for being too slow.
And that was that. Wait till Marquette!! This is just the first World Cup of the season, after all.
Posted by noelle at 06:15 PM Comments (7)
1000m Heats and Quarterfinals
1000m Heats and Quarterfinals
An exciting morning so far! Apolo has had two quiet 1000 heats -- so far, so good. There isn't too much to say, but in this case, that's a GOOD thing. He lucked out with a relatively easy quarterfinal. Rusty, who returned to Calgary last night, skated an awesome 1000 heat with some great passing, but he had a very tough quarterfinal. He finished 3rd but was later DQ'ed, although I'm really not sure why.
Fabio Carta also skated a fabio-lous 1000 heat, and made some great passes, but also got beat out in his quarter.
Caroline was the only U.S. lady to make it into the quarterfinals, but unfortunately, I had to miss the ladies' quarterfinals so I'm not sure what happened in her race.
Posted by noelle at 04:22 PM Comments (4)
5000m Semifinals
5000m semifinal
The 5000 semi last night was pretty much as wild as the 500 semis were. Someone later remarked that the U.S. men looked like the Keystone Kops out there. Not knowing who the Keystone Kops are, I can't say for sure, but I think the comparison may have been on the money! We lost to France last night. UGH!
To add insult to injury, the U.S. got DQ'ed after the race ended for failing to complete the exchange. After one of the U.S. men fell, the next skater didn't tag him before beginning to skate. Looked like they one-handed several exchanges elsewhere too. I hate to say this, but it just wasn't a pretty sight! Entertaining, I think some of the skaters were even laughing out there, but not really entertaining in the way you would want it to be.
There's always Marquette!
Posted by noelle at 12:37 PM Comments (7)
October 18, 2003
500m Craziness!
500m Craziness!
Well, we're all very sorry that Apolo didn't advance past his quarterfinal tonight. He skated a good race, but it looked like he just couldn't find room.If I find out more I'll post that info later.
The last two men's semifinals made up for the disappointment in terms of sheer spectacle. In the first semi, Jiajun Li (CHN) fell, not sure how or why, which is shocking enough. Then Guilmette of Canada slipped by Lee of Korea to make it two Canadians to advance to the final. In winning that semifinal, Jean-Francois Monette established a new world record in the 500m with a time of 41.184, upsetting that of his teammate Jeffrey Scholten.
The second semifinal has to be the wildest race I've seen yet. Song of Korea fell in the first lap, it's not clear how exactly, but he went spiraling through the air almost in slow motion. The three others continued, and Jeff Scholten, who probably wanted to reclaim his world record on the spot, improbably fell himself in the next lap, flying into the boards. Song was later DQ'ed for impeding on Scholten, but not clear how or whether this was connected to the outcome of the race.
Posted by noelle at 10:06 PM Comments (8)
500m Prelims
500 Preliminaries
The men's 500 prelims just concluded, and were exciting to watch. Many false starts, as usual, but comparatively few DQs. Most of those you would expect to advance did indeed advance to the heats.
Apolo's race was pretty uneventful. He started from the dreaded lane 4, but moved up to finish second to Guilmette.
J.P. Kepka skated a great 500, which I think is his strongest distance, leading most of the way by a good margin. The Chinese skater closed the gap in the last half lap but J.P. managed to maintain his lead to win the heat.
During the men's heats, Allison Baver came and sat with us for a few minutes and explained more about her fall in yesterday's 3000 relay. During one of the false starts, the German skater fell and kicked Allison's blade with her skate. This visibly damaged the bend of Allison's blade and really affects her ability to skate, especially around the corners. Unfortunately, skate technician Paul Marchese can't fix it with the tools he has here, so they either need to borrow equipment here in Calgary, or else Allison may need to get new blades before Marquette. Allison said she will skate the relegation 500 today on her damaged blade.
Posted by noelle at 03:46 PM Comments (3)
1500 podium
The next 3 are from the medal ceremony for the 1500m final. Apolo won bronze. He seems pleased with what he received in place of a bouquet!
Posted by noelle at 02:40 AM Comments (23)
on the podium 1500
1500 podium: Ahn, Lee, Ohno
Posted by noelle at 02:38 AM Comments (6)
Bronze medal 1500
Posted by noelle at 02:37 AM Comments (14)
USS update
From US Speedskating:
"[In the men's 1500m final] the Korean pair went to the front with about eight laps to go," said U.S. National Short Track Coach Tony Goskowicz. "Apolo did all he could do to stay close as the Koreans worked together to stay in front. But it's a good start for the first competition of the year."
Ohno Wins 1500-meters Bronze Medal at World Cup; U.S. Men's Relay Team Advances
Posted by noelle at 02:25 AM Comments (1)
October 17, 2003
Men's 1500 Final
Apolo 3rd in 1500 Final
The two Koreans got to the front. You know the rest!
Interesting to note that the times are slow! It looks like none of the men or ladies were close to the world record.
Posted by noelle at 10:08 PM Comments (8)
Two Americans in the 1500 Final!
Two Americans in the 1500 Final!
Apolo's and Rusty's semifinals were incredibly exciting races. Apolo made a huge inside pass on the entire field in the early laps of the race and after that, he and Song kept trading the lead throughout the race. All that passing and jockeying for position was exciting enough without the spills and impeding that happened later. Apolo deftly avoided getting caught up in it but early on was visibly impeded by Song who was later DQ'ed, giving Apolo the victory for the semi.
Rusty skated a tremendous semifinal, leading much of the way and making some incredible passes at various parts of the race. He had us out of our seats and yelling! He seemed completely determined tonight. I didn't see the infaction of the Belgian skater, but it resulted in a much-deserved advancement for Rusty.
Two Americans in tonight's 1500 final. GO USA!
Posted by noelle at 09:47 PM Comments (0)
Update from Calgary - 1500 Heats
Update from Calgary - 1500 Heats
It was an exciting 1st round of racing this afternoon!
The ladies went first and Bridie Farrell was amazing in her heat, leading most of the way against a tough field and finishing 2nd to advance to the semi-finals this evening. Caroline experienced a strange heat. It seems the bell wasn't rung for the last lap, and the skaters got confused. Caroline knew when to stop skating and we saw her pull up as the rest of the field kept skating. Because of this she appeared to finish 4th when she had actually finished in a qualifying position a lap earlier. The Russian skater was later disqualified and Caroline rightly advanced to the semifinals this evening.
Rusty was awesome in his heat - led most of the way, and was nearly taken out at the end when a French skater fell after both were apparently impeded by Jonathan Guilmette, who was later DQ'ed. Rusty recovered beautifully - how he managed to keep skating on one foot, recover and still finish 2nd is beyond me! I was jumping up and down screaming - it was nearly as good as The Jump in Bormio!
Apolo's heat was a bit wild, with a lot of contact and jockeying for position, but it was ultimately uneventful and he won. Tonight should be exciting with 1500 semis, finals and relay prelims.
Sonia and her daughter Lauren were spotted in the stands keeping one Yuki Ohno company!
Posted by noelle at 06:28 PM Comments (3)
Calgary
Hi everyone! Here's an update from Calgary...
Today was the final training day before World Cup action begins at noon tomorrow. A dozen U.S. fans were the only spectators on hand today taking in practice at the Oval. As usual, the team spent more time milling around center ice than actually skating. Not a lot happened! Still, it was exciting to see them all out there again after the long off season.
Apolo is looking forward to racing this weekend and predicted we'll see some fast times. Since the majority of current world records were established in Calgary, and we saw some fast times last weekend at CODA, anything seems possible!
Apolo also said that it's likely that Alex Izykowski will be skating (on Saturday only) in Rusty's place. Rusty was at practice today and plans to skate tomorrow and Sunday. Alex was also there skating today with the rest of the team. I've heard as well that due to her injury, Allison Baver will be skating in the relay only. Shani Davis, who is now training in Calgary, was on hand to watch practice this afternoon also.
There are some new additions to the World Cup format this season, starting this weekend in Calgary.* First will be a countdown clock, which will show athletes and spectators alike a countdown in minutes/seconds of how much time remains until the gun goes off for the next race. (Very handy at those times where you're wondering if you have time to make it to the restroom or back to the churro stand!)
Second, they're instituting 'relegation' races in between the heats and the semifinals/finals. These are sort of like 'consolation' races that provide an opportunity for athletes who don't advance beyond the heats to gain additional racing experience. (And us fans to see more skating!)
*Explanation was somewhat unclear - not sure if this is a Calgary experiment or if it will apply at all 6 World Cups.
Posted by noelle at 02:20 AM Comments (5)
September 30, 2003
Marquette Update
Marquette Update
Representatives of the US Olympic Education Center and US Speedskating (Bill Kellick, Rusty Smith) held a conference call today to preview the Marquette World Cup and answer media questions.
+ The competition: So far, 24 teams have confirmed they will compete in Marquette, giving a total of ~125 athletes and ~180 delegates, counting coaches and officials. The countries confirmed to date: Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Great Britain, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Mongolia, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Ukraine and USA. The Netherlands planned to attend but since scratched.
+ Tickets: At this stage, about half the event tickets are already sold. With a month to go, the USOEC is just now starting to publicize the event and they expect it to sell out. Their message: buy your tickets now if you haven't done so yet! Ticket info available at http://worldcup.nmu.edu/
+ What to watch for from Team USA: Scott Koons expects strong performances from the team as a whole, and mentioned as skaters to watch Apolo and Rusty on the men's side and Caroline and Allison on the ladies' side.
Rusty is really looking forward to skating in Marquette because he's had outstanding results when he's competed there in the past. Rusty is training hard and aiming for a Top 3 in Marquette. Rusty also mentioned that Bridie came back from her period training with the national cycling team stronger than ever and she's ready to race! Rusty also noted that the venue is excellent for spectators, and there isn't a bad seat in the house!
+ Weather: Marquette weather in late October is unpredictable. It could either snow, or it could be sunny and in the 60s - or both! The World Cup takes place during fall foliage season as well, so bring your cameras (like you weren't already planning to!).
+ Download video: The USOEC has set up a site where you can download broadcast-quality clips of the Berry Events Center venue, Marquette, speedskaters, Coach Scott Koons Q&A and more. Check it out here: http://matrix.acs.nmu.edu/worldcup
+ Donate to the USOEC: The US Olympic Education Center program is in jeopardy due to loss of funding, and they need all the support they can get. The short track program plays a crucial role in the development of U.S. skaters and as you know, many members of our current short track team got their start in the Marquette program. For info on how to make tax-deductible donations to the USOEC, vist http://newsbureau.nmu.edu/usoec/
Posted by noelle at 02:58 PM Comments (0)