World Cup Day 1 Friday
Friday ended with a mixed bag of victories and falls for Team USA. Rusty Smith, nudged slightly by another skater apparently, fell out of a turn as he set up a pass driving both skate blades into the pads with terrific force. He was carried off the ice by stretcher and to a local hospital where he underwent x-rays, with a finding of no broken bones. According to Andy Gabel, Smith returned to his hotel room where,in true Rustinator form, he hoped to make it onto the ice to skate one lap for the relay team. That was not to be and the men failed to skate the 5000m relay preliminaries.
Hyo Jung Kim showed remarkable abilities in her 1500m semifinal, holding back until Coach Derrick Campbell shouted, "GO Haillie!" Kim then turned on the jets for a powerful outside pass and left the rest of the pack in the ice chips. With three laps to go Kim was leading by half a lap when she caught her toe coming out of a turn and fell into the pads. A beginner's mistake this in no way subtracted from her powerful skating performance and we can all expect to see more of this youngster as she hones her elite skills.
The women's night belonged to Allison Baver, skating strongly and confidently in every race. She held her lead with a crowded pack of finalists, finishing third to Yang Yang A (arguably the most famous female shorttracker of all time) and current number one ranked Meng Wang. A disqualification moved Baver up to her second silver medal of this years World Cup series.
Apolo Ohno had a cliff hanging 1500m final with a croweded pack that threated at one point to block him in as he made his signature move from the rear late in the race. Ohno worked his way skillfully through the traffic, leaving his fans clutching their chest in panic as he narrowly missed jostling skaters in the pack. Of course Ohno had already honed his jumping skills in the 1500 semifinal race when a skater when down in front of him...leaving Apolo to hop nimbly over his shoulder. Ohno's final move to the front of the pack near the final lap was proof positive that he deserved the accolade of "Lord of the Rink."
The Canadian men skating a blistering 5000m relay race, apparently attempting to set a new world record on this very fast ice. Those new Bont platinum blades on some skaters sparkled brightly, but Team Canada failed to set a new final, short appx. 2 seconds. Of note, Jonathan Guilmette skated strongly. Finally this fan must note that at least three skaters have avoided the barber in recent months. Ohno, Fabio Carta and Guilmette sported the "Flying Locks Look," which I for one throughly enjoy!