AP

Poland wins 2 gold medals at FISU Speed Skating Championship

Mar 4, 2022, 3:06 AM | Updated: 5:07 pm

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (AP) — American William Gebauer set a track record in the men’s 500 meters and Team Poland set a mark in the men’s team pursuit at the FISU World University Speed Skating Championship on Friday.

With temperatures in the single digits and a wind-chill well below zero, Gebauer, a native of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, topped the 17-skater field in a time of 36.74 seconds. Silver medalist Kota Mitsui of Japan finished in 36.80 and American Conor McDermott-Mostowy claimed the bronze in 36.84.

After three days of racing, athletes have combined to break six track records on the outdoor 400-meter James C. Sheffield Speed Skating Oval where Eric Heiden won five gold medals in the 1980 Winter Olympics.

“The times that were skated here 40-plus years ago by Eric Heiden were insanely fast and they still are crazy fast, but I feel like with the level of international competition here, a track record is pretty much a must for a win,” Gebauer said.

“In a sprint, you go as fast as you can, you can’t control anything else,” added McDermott-Mostowy, of Washington, D.C. “You always want gold, but I’m more than happy to settle for bronze.”

Netherlands skaters finished first and second in the women’s 500, with Ju-Lin De Visser taking gold in 41.22 and Henny De Vries was second in 41.48. Germany’s Lea-Sophie Scholz took the bronze in 41.64.

Poland came into the sixth FISU World University Championship Speed Skating event with a nation-leading 52 medals but had come away empty after the first two days in Lake Placid. That changed Friday with the two golds in the team pursuit.

“We’ve been waiting to win medals and today we broke through with two,” said Dawid Burzykowski, who helped lead the Polish men to a winning time of 4 minutes, 13.56 seconds. “We are happy to have two medals and we hope tomorrow we will have more.”

Burzykowski, along with teammates Szymon Palka and Piotr Nalecki, finished more than two seconds ahead of the Norwegian silver medalists, who skated to an eight-lap time of 4:15.76. Netherlands took bronze in 4:19.61.

Maja Plonczyk, Iga Wojtasik and Natalia Jabrzyk combined for the women’s team pursuit gold medal in 3:25.36. The Netherlands was second in 3:31.75, while Team USA took the bronze as Ilsa Shobe, of Roseville, Minnesota, Anna Quinn of St. Louis, and Thalia Staehle of Seattle pushed each other to a six-lap finish of 3:41.47.

The competition ends Saturday.

___

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

1 year ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

1 year ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

1 year ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

1 year ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

1 year ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

1 year ago

Poland wins 2 gold medals at FISU Speed Skating Championship