MEDIA ROUND UP:
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www.jsonline.com/sports/etc/70120467.htmlWORLD CUP SPEEDSKATING
Dudek wraps up her spotShe finally makes Olympic teamBy Gary D’Amato of the Journal Sentinel
Posted: Nov. 14, 2009 9:03 p.m.
Marquette, Mich. — Alyson Dudek didn't want to talk about competing in the 2010 Winter Olympics until it was official.
On Saturday, at the final World Cup/Olympic qualifier for short-track speedskating, it became official.
The U.S. women accumulated enough World Cup points to lock up two Olympic starting spots in the 500 meters. Dudek, who won the 500 at the U.S. Olympic trials in September, will get one of them.The 19-year-old from Hales Corners, Wis., also will compete in the women's 3,000 relay in Vancouver.
"Now I know for sure," Dudek said. "I'm really excited and I can't wait. I don't even know how to explain what I'm feeling right now, but I'm really excited and I think our whole team, in Vancouver, we're going to do really well."The Americans had mixed results Saturday in the 500 and 1,500 at the Berry Events Center on the Northern Michigan University campus.
Katherine Reutter fell in the semifinals of the 1,500, one of her strongest events, but bounced back to make her first-ever A Group final in the 500 and finished fourth.
"It was my first 500 A final and I'm happy about that," she said. "This was only my third time competing in the 500, ever, at a World Cup. It could have been a little better, but there is so much to learn."Apolo Anton Ohno earned the only medal for the U.S., a silver in the 1,500, but was disqualified in the quarterfinals of the 500. Race officials ruled that Ohno impeded Germany's Robert Seifert.
"I didn't agree with that," Ohno said. "Traditionally, if you're way in front of the person and there's no contact, you know, I have the right of way. There was no bumping or anything like that. I thought it was a bad call, but I have to come back stronger and leave no doubt in anyone's mind next time."Dudek won her 500 heat in 44.666 seconds but then finished third in a photo finish in the quarterfinals; only the top two advanced to the semifinals.
Eun-Byul Lee of Korea got the tip of her skate just in front of Dudek's at the finish line and beat her by 0.011 of a second.
"Oh, my gosh, I think that's one of the hardest ways to win or lose," said Dudek, who attended Divine Savior Holy Angels High School. "Overall, I think I skated a really good race, even though it breaks my heart because I was so close."More than one dozen of Dudek's relatives and friends were in the stands, wearing sweatshirts bearing a clever take-off on Nike's "Just Do It."
"Just Du Dek" was the message.
"We're thrilled beyond words," said Dudek's mother, Mary Dudek. "At her young age, to be an Olympian, what a great honor."
Francois-Louis Tremblay of Canada won gold in the men's 500. Si-Bak Sung of Korea broke Tremblay's world record of 40.684 in the semifinals (40.651) and finished third in the final.
Meng Wang of China easily won the women's 500 in 42.961, with Reutter finishing fourth in 44.075. Reutter did set a U.S. record in the heats with a time of 43.760. The old record was 43.967, held by Maria Garcia.
Jung-Su Lee of Korea won the men's 1,500 in 2 minutes 13.595 seconds, with Ohno second in 2:13.731.
Yang Zhou of China won the women's 1,500 in 2:22.700.
On Friday, Reutter had made a spirited run at Meng's world record in the 1,000 but came up short. Reutter was devastated and tried to clear her mind with a post-race run.She wound up at Picnic Rocks beach, near the spot where a close friend, Toni Copeland, drowned in Lake Superior in 2005. Copeland was a women's freestyle wrestler, training in the U.S. Olympic Education Center program.
"Toni actually was one of my friends from high school," Reutter said. "I was so upset after the race and I was so down on myself and feeling like I wasn't worth very much. But I got there and I realized it's just a race. I'm lucky enough to be here. One of my friends never got her (Olympic) shot, so I'm thankful to have my shot."The World Cup concludes Sunday with the finals in the men's and women's 1,000 and the relays.
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www.uppermichiganssource.com/news/story.aspx?list=~%5Cnews%5Clists%5Clocal&id=377301Speedskating draws fans from afar Speedskating parents, friends, and fans travel from around the world to cheerBy Jeni Jewell
Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 8:06 p.m.
MARQUETTE -- The sound of skates hitting the ice, the rush as skaters pass in the last lap, to win the medal.
It's what fans of speedskating wait for, and this weekend they're getting a pre-Olympic taste of the best skaters in the world.
Some came to cheer on their favorites, like Apolo Anton Ohno.
For other's it was a matter of national pride, like Jing Zhou, who moved from China to Marquette six years ago.
While Jing doesn't have a favorite skater, she bought tickets to the World Cup, in Marquette, to route for all the Chinese athletes.
"I was at the last world cup here", Zhou said. "So, I'm really excited to see the Chinese team compete with all the other countries."
Other fans traveled from far distances to watch the Short Track Speedskating events.
Like Saturday's fastest fan, Jordan Malone, a U.S. speedskater who was injured two weeks ago, but still traveled from Salt Lake City to Marquette to cheer on his team.
"It's the camaraderie that gets these guys along in these races", Malone said, "so it's good for me and them."
He's also watching closely since the results will determine if he can skate in the Vancouver Olympics.
"I have to sit there and watch my teammates, the one's who are filling in for me, try and qualify my spot for me", he said. "So, if they don't race well, then I'm done. So, last night, watching the relay was a big deal because we had to make top eight in the relay to skate in the games."NMU students were also encouraged to adopt a country this weekend. The loudest and best dressed group will win a pizza party.
"They wear team colors and bring team posters", said Student Government, President, Drew Janego. "Pretty much if I can hear them cheering they get points. Pretty much anything you can think of."
And for the local fans, the world cup was a chance to see future Olympians skate before the Winter Games in February.
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www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/vancouver/speedskating/2009-11-14-short-track_N.htm'Tired' Ohno takes second in 1,500 meters; DQ'd in 500Posted 2h 57m ago|
MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) — Lee Jung-Su of South Korea beat U.S. speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno in the men's 1,500-meter short track World Cup race on Saturday.
Lee finished in 2 minutes, 13.595 seconds and Ohno crossed in 2:13.731. Charles Hamelin of Canada was third."Everyone was trying to get up to the front, and there was some bumping in the action," Hamelin said. "I think I used too much energy to fight for the front and my legs were tired at the end."
Ohno was also fatigued by the end of the day.
"I'm trying to conserve as much (energy) as possible," he said. "I'm dead tired."Katherine Reutter set an American record of 43.648 seconds in a quarterfinal heat of the women's 500 and then placed fourth in a final won by Wang Meng of China in 42.961. Canadians Kalyna and Marianne St.-Gelais took second and third, respectively.
Sung Si-Bak of South Korea set a world record of 40.651 in a preliminary heat of the men's 500, but placed third in the final won by Francois-Louis Tremblay of Canada in 42.437. Thibaut Fauconnet was second.
Ohno and fellow American Anthony Lobello were disqualified in the quarterfinals of the 500.
China took the top two spots in the women's 1,500, with Zhou Yang finishing in 2:22.700 to edge Liu Qiuhong. Lee Eun-Byul of South Korea was third.
Reutter and U.S. teammate Allison Baver failed to make the women's finals. Reutter fell in her semifinal heat and Baver finished last in hers.
The meet continues Sunday with the men's and women's 1,000 and relay races.
Saturday was the second round of qualifying for athletes to secure spots at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. Results from Marquette's World Cup will be combined with last week's World Cup results from Montreal.
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www.vancouversun.com/sports/Canada+claims+medal+haul+short+track+World/2224452/story.htmlCanada claims medal haul at short track World CupCANWEST NEWS SERVICENOVEMBER 14, 2009 7:09 PM
Francois-Louis Tremblay of Alma, Que., took the gold medal in the men’s 500-metre final Saturday at the short-track speed skating World Cup in Marquette, Mich.
Tremblay won in a time of 42.437 seconds, good enough to edge Thibault Fauconnet of France (43.397). South Korea’s Sung Si-Bak finished well back in third (1:02.747).
“In the final, I didn’t want to take the lead,” explained Tremblay after winning his first gold medal of the season. “I knew the Korean was just as fast as me today and I figured if I went to the front, he could just relax behind and try to pass me at the finish. But at the start, it looked like the Korean didn’t want to take the lead either, so I went to the front, but with a slow pace. This allowed for passes and eventually some falls, but I managed to stay out of it and I reacted well. . . . I really wanted a win here, at the last World Cup before the Games, to help build my confidence, to prove that I could do it, so it’s great to have done it today.”The gold was one of four podium finishes for the Canadian team.
Kalyna Roberge of St-Etienne-de-Lauzon, Que., captured silver in the women’s 500-metre final, while Marianne St.-Gelais of Montreal won the bronze behind Wang Meng of China.
Wang’s time of 42.961 was enough to beat Roberge (43.267) and St.-Gelais (43.373). Jessica Gregg of Edmonton finished seventh.
Earlier, Charles Hamelin of Ste-Julie, Que., captured the bronze medal in the men’s 1,500-metre final.
Hamelin finished behind gold medallist Jung-Su Lee of South Korea, who finished in a time of two minutes 13.595 seconds. American Apolo Ohno won the silver medal in 2:13.731, followed by Hamelin in 2:14.216.
In the women’s 1,500-metre final, Yang Zhou of China edged compatriot Quihong Liu for the gold.
Zhou won in 2:22.700 followed by Liu in 2:22.870. Eun-Byul Lee of South Korea was third in 2:22.919. Valerie Maltais of La Baie, Que., just missed the podium, placing fifth in a time of 2:24.195.
Two more Canadians cracked the top 10 — Kalyna Roberge of Saint-Etienne-de-Lauzon, Que., was sixth and Tania Vicent of Laval, Que., finished eighth.
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www.ctvolympics.ca/worldcupwatch/sport=st/newsid=19768.htmlCanada's short trackers earn 2010 berths at 1,000mThe Canadian Press
Posted Friday, November 13, 2009 10:44 PM ET
MARQUETTE, Mich. -
Canada will be able to enter three women and at least two men in the 1,000-metre short-track speedskating event at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics after a successful second day Friday at a World Cup stop in Marquette, Mich.After securing their positions in the 500- and 1,500-metre in the opening day Thursday, Kalyna Roberge of St-Etienne-de-Lauzon, Que., Tania Vicent of Laval, Que., and Edmonton's Jessica Gregg delivered strong performances in the 1,000m.
Roberge and Vicent each won their two races, while Gregg finished second in her first heat and won the other one. They will continue competing Sunday, but Friday's results ensure good enough finishes for all three to earn berths for Canada at next February's Winter Games.
"The girls all had very strong races,'' said team leader Yves Hamelin. "Tania was just as solid as (Thursday), she led most of her races with a good pace. Kalyna was herself, taking control of the main part of her races. Jessica was always well positioned, showed great intensity in her races and responded well when people tried to pass her.''
On the men's side, brothers Charles Hamelin and François Hamelin of Ste-Julie, Que., dominated their races, staying in the pack for the first few laps and then taking the lead each time, crossing the finish line first in their three respective heats.
Charles - a world-record holder in the distance - once again posted the fastest time of the day in one minute 25.708 seconds.
Olivier Jean of Lachenaie, Que., was disqualified in the third race of the day after making slight contact with Chinese skater Han Jialiang.
"Olivier was having a good day, never being threatened in his races. His last heat was harder, he could have been more patient before attempting to pass. He was strong and clearly able to make the top two,'' said Yves Hamelin.
Jean was disqualified in the first round of last week's World Cup stop in Montreal, so his combined ranking will make Canada's third spot almost impossible to reach, depending on global Olympic quotas.On Thursday, despite Guillaume Bastille's 48th place finish in the 1,500m, the Riviere-du-Loup, Que., native's 17th place finish from last week was sufficient to give him the 29th position overall, and Canada will be able to send a full team in the discipline.
In relay action, the Hamelin brothers, Bastille and François-Louis Tremblay of Montreal teamed up in the first round, and easily won their race in 6:50.899, well ahead of Japan and France. They went on to win their quarter-final round in 6:44.886, edging out Korea, once again with France and Japan seconds behind.
Gregg and Vicent joined forces with Marianne St-Gelais of St-Felicien, Que., and Valérie Maltais of La Baie, Que., for their quarter-final, and they finished second in 4:16.646, just behind Japan who crossed the finish line in 4:16.113.
Both Canadian teams will race the semifinals Sunday.
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NPR Pictures
US speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno (R) starts from the back to win his heat in the Men's 1000m preliminaries at the ISU World Cup short track speed skating event in Marquette, Michigan, November 13, 2009.
US speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno starts his heat in the Men's 1000m preliminaries at the ISU World Cup short track speed skating event in Marquette, Michigan, November 13, 2009.
? Maybe...maybe not.
(Valiant effort Travis, against a tough round!)
