American speed skater Brittany Bowe broke the world record in the 1000m on the final day of the Salt Lake City World Cup.
Bowe, 25, clocked 1 minute, 12.58 seconds, beating Canadian Christine Nesbitt’s 1:12.68 from January 2012.
“I daydream about it,” said Bowe, according to The Associated Press. “I’ve dreamed in my sleep about it. When it becomes a reality and finally hits you, it’s a dream come true. … I knew if I could just hang on, it would be a really fast time.”
Bowe became the first U.S. woman to hold a world record in an Olympic speed skating event since Chris Witty had her 1000m mark broken in 2006. She’s a former inline skater and college basketball player who switched to ice after watching the 2010 Olympics.
The other top U.S. woman, Heather Richardson, finished second in 1:12.61, the second fastest time in history. It was Richardson’s fourth medal of the weekend.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Ireen Wuest of the Netherlands finished third in 1:13.33.
Bowe and Richardson finished the day on a strong note, taking bronze for the U.S. in the women’s team pursuit in 2:57.09. The Netherlands won in 2:56:02, coming .23 shy of Canada’s world record from 2009.
The Netherlands’ impressive day peaked with an entirely Dutch podium in the men’s 5000m. Olympic gold medalist Sven Kramer won in 6:04.59, followed by Bob de Jong and Jorrit Bergsma.
Japan’s Keiichiro Nagashima, an Olympic silver medalist, won the second men’s 500m race in 34.24, ahead of the Netherlands’s Ronald Mulder and South Korea’s Mo Tae-Bum.
The next stop on the World Cup circuit is in Astana, Kazakhstan in two weeks.
Salt Lake City World Cup — Sunday
Men’s 500m — Race 2
1. Keiichiro Nagashima (JPN) 34.24
2. Ronald Mulder (NED) 34.25
3. Mo Tae-Bum (KOR) 34.28
7. Mitchell Whitmore (USA) 34.52
18. Tucker Fredricks (USA) 34.73
Women’s 1000m
1. Brittany Bowe (USA) 1:12.58
2. Heather Richardson (USA) 1:12.61
3. Ireen Weust (NED) 1:13.33
Men’s 5000m
1. Sven Kramer (NED) 6:04.59
2. Bob de Jong (NED) 6:07.43
3. Jorrit Bergsma (NED) 6:08.13
5. Jonathan Kuck (USA) 6:09.73
16. Brian Hansen (USA) 6:17.84
Women’s Team Pursuit
1. Netherlands 2:56.02
2. Canada 2:56.90
3. U.S. 2:57.09