Speed skater Brittany Bowe began a new 1000m World Cup win streak on Sunday, and reached a feat not seen in the sport in more than four years.
Winning both the 1500m and 1000m on Jan. 23-24 and again Jan. 30-31 in Heerenveen, Netherlands, Bowe won two distances at back-to-back World Cups for the first time in her already impressive career. She is also the first woman to win those two distances at consecutive World Cups since former teammate Heather Bergsma did so on straight weekends in November 2016; Bergsma’s were on two different tracks in Harbin, China, and Nagano, Japan, while Bowe’s were all at the Thialf venue as a result of the pandemic.
Bowe’s latest 1000m victory came in a time of 1:13.960 for her 30th career World Cup gold medal. Russia’s Angelina Golikova was second in 1:14.054, followed by the Netherlands’ Femke Kok at 1:14.475.
After winning seven consecutive 1000m World Cup races from Dec. 7, 2018-Dec. 14, 2019 – the most by a U.S. woman – before finishing sixth at a race almost two months later, Bowe has a new streak going that she will hope to continue when the 2021-2022 Olympic season begins in the fall.
Bowe finished the World Cup season with her fifth career 1000m season title – having won it in 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2020 – and is now tied with Germany’s Monique Garbrecht-Enfeldt (1998-2001, 2003) for the most at that distance.
Russian Natalia Voronina set a new track record in the women’s 3000m of 3:56.853, besting the record set by Irene Schouten a week ago (3:57.15).
Kok won her fourth 500m World Cup in two weeks on Sunday, in 37.333 seconds, taking the season title. She scored six World Cup medals total, more than any other skater.
The Netherlands’ Kai Verbij won the men’s 1000m in 1:07.355 and Patrick Roest the men’s 5000m in 6:05.959. Verbij was 0.22 seconds ahead of countryman Thomas Krol, who had won the 1000m and 1500m in World Cup 1 as well as Saturday’s 1500m.
Skaters will have a rest weekend before the 2021 World Championships are held at the same venue Feb. 11-14.
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