Lee Kyou-hyuk has successfully defended his title at the World Speed Skating Championships in the Dutch town of Heerenveen. The South Korean came sixth in the final 1000m with a time of 1:09.48, sufficient to stay ahead of his compatriot Mo Tae-bum. US skater Shani Davis took the bronze medal.
Dutch skater Stefan Groothuis, who second after Davis in the final 1000m, came fourth. Groothuis was initially disqualified after the 500m race, but a protest filed by the Dutch skating Union KNSB was eventually upheld. Lee Kyou-hyuk won his fourth world title in five years. He also grabbed the gold in 2007, 2008 and 2010. Dutch skaters Kjeld Nuis, Jan Bos and Jan Smeekens came fifth, twelfth and thirteenth.
Among the women skaters, Canadian Christine Nesbitt proved to be in a class of her own and won the gold medal in 1:15.39. Dutch skaters Annette Gerritsen and Margot Boer won the silver and bronze medals. Both skaters finished the final 1000m in 1:17.14, pushing German skater Jenny Wolf off the victory platform.
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