Brittany Bowe wins 1,500 meters for second title at speedskating worlds
Brittany Bowe won her second title of the speedskating single distance world championships Sunday, taking gold in the 1,500 meters to add to her victory Friday in the 1,000.
Defending champion Ireen Wust of the Netherlands was second and Bowe's American teammate Heather Richardson, the 500-meter champion, finished third.
"I'm missing my top speed this year," Wust said after winning her third silver medal of the championships. "My head wants it so much, but I just can't go faster than this."
Bowe won in 1 minute, 54.27 seconds, a day after taking silver behind Richardson in the 500 meters. The American team that struggled at the Sochi Olympics a year ago won four titles at the worlds, with veteran Shani Davis taking the 1,000 Saturday.
Pavel Kulizhnikov of Russia won the men's 500, finishing first in both heats, to cap a dominant year in the sprints. Dutchman Michel Mulder was second and Laurent Dubreuil of Canada finished third.
The Netherlands won both the mass start races, with Arjan Stroetinga taking the men's race in 7:30.64 ahead of Fabio Francolini of Italy and Alexis Contin of France.
Irene Schouten won the women's race in 8:38.23, ahead of Ivanie Blondin of Canada and fellow Dutchwoman Mariska Huisman.
It was the first time the mass-start races had been included in a world championships program.
