S. Koreans finish first in int`l speed skating

SEOUL, Jan. 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korean male and female athletes clutched
first-place finishes at the international speed skating championships in Japan,
raising prospects that they may win medals in the upcoming Vancouver Winter
Olympic Games.
Lee Kyou-hyuk finished first of the male athletes, and Lee Sang-hwa finished
first among females in the two-day event at the World Sprint Speed Skating
Championships, hosted by the governing International Skating Union (ISU) in
Obihiro.
Athletes competed in 500-meter and 1,000-meter races over two days, after which
the scores were tallied, with the lowest scorers winning.
Lee, a favorite coming to Obihiro, secured 139.910, sidestepping a challenge by
fellow countryman Lee Kang-seok, who was runner-up with 140.880.
Third place went to Keiichiro Nagashima of Japan with 141.060 points.
Lee Kyou-hyuk finished third and first, respectively, in the men's 500-meter and
1,000-meter races held on Saturday, followed by second and first place finishes
in the 500-meter and 1,000-meter events held earlier in the day.
Lee Sang-hwa, meanwhile, scored 154.580 overall among women skaters, edging out
rival Sayuri Yoshii of Japan and Germany's Jenny Wolf, who got 154.830 points and
155.110 points each.
The Korean skater did well in the 500-meter races, but did not make the top three
in the 1,000-meter events, even though she grabbed the champion title overall.
Both skaters are expected to compete in the Vancouver games scheduled for Feb.
12-28 in Canada.
South Korean men finished first overall in 1990 and 1995, with Lee Kyou-hyuk
taking the title in 2007 and 2008. This year was the first time that a female
South Korean skater has won the champion title.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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