Chinese Yang Yang Wins Women's 1,000m in World Cup Skating

Chinese Yang Yang wins Women's 1,000m In World Cup Skating

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World champion "Big" Yang Yang of China captured the overall title as she won the women 's 1,000 meters and led her team to the 3,000m relay victory at the World Cup short track speed skating competition here on Sunday, December 9.

Yang, also the world record-holder for the event, skated to a winning time of 1:39.289 with the silver medal going to her compatriot Sun Dandan, who had reaped a gold and a silver in the first two days of the fourth leg of the International Skating Union (ISU) Short Track Speed Skating World Cup at the Changchun Five-Circle Gymnasium.

South Korean Choi Min-Kyung and Park Hye-Rim, who were apparently annoyed by their teammate Choi Eun-Kyung's disqualification in the semi-finals, did not try their best in the final, only registering distant third and fourth in 1:44.377 and 1: 44.513 respectively.

The 15-year-old Park, who had snatched five titles at the second and third legs in her first World Cup season, finally revenged by beating Yang to the runner-up in the women's 3,000m.

American Apolo Anton Ohno quickly recovered from his disqualification in the men's 1,000m, won by Canadian Eric Bedard, to finish first in the 3,000m final for his ninth World Cup title this season, narrowly edging reigning world champion Min Ryoung of South Korea.

Apolo also took the men's overall title with 68 points and received the prize money of 1,000 dollars.

Bedard, the reigning 500m world champion, staged a late surge to win the 1,000m in 1:31.182, .18 seconds ahead of home skater An Yulong. Rusty Smith of the United States came in third at 1:31. 378.

In the men's 5,000m relay, South Korea was disqualified for impeding after crossing the finish line first. China won the gold medal, followed by the United States and Canada.