Team USA Prepares for World Single Distance Championships in Kolomna
Kearns, Utah (PRWEB) February 10, 2016 -- US Speedskating’s team of eight athletes are currently in Kolomna, Russia, preparing for the World Single Distance Championships 2016 this weekend (Feb. 11-14) at the Speed Skating Centre of the Moscow region of Kolomna.
Competition begins on Thursday, Feb. 11, with the men’s 10000m and the women’s 3000m. Racing is scheduled to start at approximately 4:45 p.m. local time (6:45 a.m. MST). A full day-by-day schedule is below.
Representing the U.S. team will be eight athletes, seven of which are Olympians. Coming together from six different states, three of the athletes on the roster hail from Ocala, Fla.
For live results, click here and to watch the action on demand, visit icenetwork.com. NBCSN will broadcast an hour highlight show on March 2 beginning at 12:00 a.m. EST.
The U.S. Team (in alphabetical order):
Heather Bergsma (High Point, N.C. – 500m, 1000m, 1500m, Mass) has won 14 World Cup medals this season, including three gold medals. She set the World Record in the women’s 1000m on Nov. 14, 2015 in Calgary and is the current World Record holder in the 1500m, setting that a week later on Nov. 21 in Salt Lake City. Bergsma currently is third in the ISU Grand World Cup rankings (1045 points) and is second in the women’s 1000m and 1500m.
Brittany Bowe (Ocala, Fla. – 500m, 1000m, 1500m) is the current 1000m World Record holder, setting the mark on Nov. 22, 2015 in Salt Lake City. The reigning 1000m and 1500m World Champion has won 16 total World Cup medals this season, six of which have been gold. She currently ranks first in the 1000m, 1500m and the ISU Grand World Cup.
KC Boutiette (Tacoma, Wash. – Mass Start) has raced in all five World Cups to date. His top finish was a sixth-place result in the men’s Mass Start in Heerenveen on Dec. 13, 2015. The four-time Olympian’s last World Single Distance Championship was in 2005.
Shani Davis (Chicago, Ill. – 1000m, 1500m) is the reigning 1000m World Champion. He won the bronze medal in the 1500m on Nov. 20, 2015 in Salt Lake City and currently ranks sixth in the 1500m. The two-time Olympic Champion has competed in eight World Single Distance Championships and has won eight championships (15 total medals).
Joey Mantia (Ocala, Fla. – 1000m, 1500m, Mass) currently is third in the men’s 1000m and 1500m, and ranks sixth in the ISU Grand World Cup. The 2014 Olympian has won five medals this season, including gold in the 1500m on Dec. 13, 2015 in Heerenveen. It was his second career World Cup gold.
Paige Schwartzburg (Ocala, Fla. – Mass Start) is skating in her first World Championships and is the 205-16 US National Champion in the 1500m. After finishing third in the women’s Mass Start B Division in Salt Lake City on Nov. 22, 2015, Schwartzburg raced in her first-ever World Cup A Division on Dec. 6 in Inzell, Germany.
Sugar Todd (Omaha, Neb. – 500m, 1000m) started the season with a fourth place B Division finish in the 500m (1) in Calgary, and hasn’t looked backed racing in every 500m A Division since then. She is currently ranked 15th in the world in the 500m. On Nov. 20, 2015, she set a personal best 37.63 in the 500m in Salt Lake City and finished eighth in the event.
Mitch Whitmore (Waukesha, Wisc. – 500m, 1000m) earned his first individual World Cup medal on Nov. 20, 2015 in Salt Lake City as he skated a 34.19. His time was an American Record, surpassing his previous mark of 34.29 set in 2013. Whitmore was also part of the Team Sprint team that won silver in Calgary on Nov. 14. He currently ranks 15th in the men’s 500m ISU World Cup.
Race Schedule
Thursday, Feb. 11 (all times local)
4:45 p.m. - Men 10000m, Women 3000m
Friday, Feb. 12
5:10 p.m. – Women 1000m, Men 1500m, Women 5000m, Team Pursuit Men
Saturday, Feb. 13
3 p.m. – Men 5000m, Women 500m (1), Men 1000m, Women 500m (2), Team Pursuit Women
Sunday, Feb. 14
2:30 p.m. – Men 500m (1), Women 1500m, Men 500m (2), Mass Start Men, Mass Start Women
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About US Speedskating
From Pond to Podium, we are US Speedskating. We grow and nurture a sport where all ages can experience the thrill of speed and the camaraderie of the skating community. US Speedskating is responsible for the development of speed skating from grassroots to the highest elite racing programs. US Speedskating is recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Skating Union as the governing body for the sport of speed skating in the United States. The Organization has won 86 Olympic medals to-date, making it one of the most successful sports in U.S. Olympic history. US Speedskating is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, on Facebook and at http://www.usspeedskating.org.
Matt Whewell, US Speedskating, http://www.usspeedskating.org, +1 (801) 417-5374, [email protected]
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