(L-R) Silver medalist Miho Takagi of Japan, gold medalist Brittany Bowe and bronze medalist Sanneke de Neeling of Netherlands pose during the women's 1,000-meter medal ceremony at the ISU World Cup Speed Skating on Dec. 14, 2019 in Nagano, Japan.
All challengers to Brittany Bowe’s string of success in the 1,000-meter fell short once again on Saturday, as the reigning world and world cup champion ran her yearlong streak to seven world cup wins in a row in Nagano, Japan.
The two-time Olympian, who also holds the world record in the event, set a new track record of 1 minute, 14.344 seconds as she stepped to the top of the podium for the third time this season in the 1,000-meter. She has now won seven consecutive world cup races at the distance, plus a world championship, in a run that stretches back to Dec. 7, 2018. The last time she did not win in a 1,000-meter race was when she took second in the world cup stop in Tomakomai, Japan on Nov. 25, 2018.
Seven consecutive victories gives Bowe the longest winning streak in the 1,000-meter ever among U.S. women, breaking the tie she held with Bonnie Blair and Heather Bergsma, who both won six straight.
On Saturday, Bowe clocked in .55 seconds faster than second-place finisher Miho Takagi of Japan, and beat Nao Kodaira’s track record of 1:14.58 to earn the victory. Sanneke de Neeling of Netherlands was third.
The win was Bowe’s 26th world cup victory, putting her fifth all-time among U.S. speedskaters. Each win also puts Bowe a giant step closer to winning her fourth overall world cup title in the 1,000-meter, which would tie her with Bergsma. Only Blair has won more among American women.
The event wraps up Sunday, and that will be the last of world cup racing until Feb. 6-7, 2020 when the series moves to North America with a competition in Calgary, Alberta, in advance of the World Singles Distance Championships, which begin Feb. 13 in Salt Lake City.
Karen Price is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has covered Olympic and Paralympic sports for various publications. She is a freelance contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
