Toronto Star

Klassen rockets to world record

Shatters mark in 1,500-metre event Scary crash mars N. Y. bobsled race

- WITH FILES FROM STAR WIRE SERVICES

Cindy Klassen of Winnipeg reclaimed the world record in the women’s 1,500-metres yesterday, in a World Cup long track speed skating event at Kearns, Utah.

Klassen finished in one minute, 51.79 seconds. A short while earlier, Germany’s Anni Friesinger had beaten her own world mark of 1: 53.22, finishing in a time of 1: 53.19. It still wasn’t good enough for the gold. Christine Nesbitt of London, Ont., was third behind Klassen and Friesinger.

In men’s competitio­n, Jeremy Wotherspoo­n of Red Deer, Alta., took bronze in the 1,000- metre and 500- metre events. SHORT TRACK:

The Canadian women’s relay team won gold yesterday at a short track speed skating World Cup event that finalized the country’s team for the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Alanna Kraus of Abbotsford, B. C., Anouk Leblanc- Boucher of Montreal, Kalyna Roberge of Ste-Etienne-de-Lauzon, Que., and Amanda Overland of Kitchener skated the 3,000- metre relay in four minutes 23.131 seconds at The Hague. The men’s 5,000 relay final was cancelled due to poor ice conditions but the Canadian men also qualified for the Games. BOBSLED: Alexandr Zoubkov of Russia won a World Cup fourman bobsled race at Lake Placid, N. Y., yesterday, an event marred by a scary crash that knocked American driver Todd Hays out of gold- medal contention. Hays was 0.16 seconds behind Zoubkov after the first run, but crashed after the third turn of his second run. Neither Hays nor any of his teammates were injured.

“ I knew the track was slowing down so I was going to have to have a big- time run,” Hays said. “ I needed to make up 18- hundreths on the Russians. And you can’t do that driving a safe line, so I went to the other line and landed on my head. That’s racing.’’

Canada’s Pierre Lueders finished ninth. LUGE: Armin Zoggeler of Italy set a track record in winning the World Cup men’s singles event at Cesana- Pariol, Italy. Zoggeler won in a time of one minute 44.586 seconds to edge Russia’s Albert Demtschenk­o by 0.03 seconds on a track that will host the Olympic luge events.

 ?? BAS CZERWINSKI/ AP ?? Canadians Alanna Kraus, front, and Kalyna Roberge make the exchange on way to winning 3,000-metre relay in The Hague.
BAS CZERWINSKI/ AP Canadians Alanna Kraus, front, and Kalyna Roberge make the exchange on way to winning 3,000-metre relay in The Hague.

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