By William Beacom
Marquette, MI – Short-track speedskaters at the ISU World Cup showcased their speed at the Berry Events Center at NMU over the weekend. U.S. skater Anthony Lobello says Salt Lake City can't lay claim to the title of "world's fastest ice" any more, as competitors flew at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour and broke records.
The U.S. women's team took 4th place overall after four days of competition. China, Korea, and Canada rounded out the top three. American Katherine Reutter took silver in the 1,000-meter women's final Sunday.
The U.S. men's team secured 3rd place, behind Korea and 2nd-place Canada. Apolo Anton Ohno won gold in the men's 1,000-meters, while the team captured silver in the 5,000-meter relay. Ohno says he achieved his goal of being consistent and making the finals, and now the whole team has an idea of what to expect at the Olympics. He noted everyone on the team loves coming to Marquette, as many of them trained at the U.S. Olympic Education Center. Ohno says the Marquette crowd always provides the skaters with a lot of support, which goes a long way.
The World Cup was the final Olympic qualifier for skaters to earn spots for their respective countries at the winter games in Vancouver in February. For a complete list of World Cup results, go to www.goldrushskate.com.