On the fast track: Russian speed skater Pavel Kulizhnikov earns World Championship sprint gold
The leader of the Russian speed skating team Pavel Kulizhnikov has proved again he is one of the world’s fastest sprinters by winning the men’s 500m gold at the World Championships in Salt Lake City in the US.
The 25-year-old clocked a time of 33.72 seconds, which was enough to claim gold on the shortest speed skating distance.
Fellow Russian Ruslan Murashov finished second, while Japan’s Tatsuya Sinema completed the podium.
This was the fourth world title at separate distances for Russian champion Kulizhnikov, who also dominated the World Sprint Speed Skating Championships on three occasions.
???????????? It's a ???????? 1-2 in Men's 500m at the ISU World Single Distances #speedskating champs @UtahOlympicOval ????????
— ISU Speed Skating (@ISU_Speed) February 15, 2020
???? Pavel Kulizhnikov ????????
???? Ruslan Murashov ????????
???? Tatsuya Shinhama ????????
???? Live Results - https://t.co/oWEvOkqxoh
▶ Live Stream - https://t.co/YZyNZOKsRS pic.twitter.com/lyctt1eG7n
Kulizhnikov is also a five-time European champion and holds the world record in the men’s 500m distance of 33.61 seconds.
In the women’s 500m event, victory was taken by Japan’s Nao Kodaira while Russia’s Angelina Golikova and Olga Fatkulina finished second and third respectively, posting personal bests.