7 December 2013 – Berlin, GERMANY
Shani Davis narrowly missed winning his fourth straight 1000m World Cup race.
Competing in the last WC event of the fall racing season, Shani captured bronze at 1000m for his fourth consecutive World Cup podium finish, including three wins, tops among U.S. men. Only .09 separated Shani (1:09.59) from race winner Tae-Bum Mo (1:09.50), the 2010 Olympic 1000m silver medalist from Korea.
It was Shani’s 84th individual World Cup medal, second among U.S. skaters behind 1994 Olympic Champion Dan Jansen (103). Shani’s U.S.-best 57 World Cup victories are 2nd all-time to Canadian sprinter Jeremy Wotherspoon (67), and he is the all-time 1000m leader with a staggering 39 WC wins, 15 more than Russian legend Igor Zhelezovsky (24).
The two-time Olympic Champion has a commanding lead in the Overall 1000m World Cup standings with just two races remaining on the WC calendar. Davis is seeking an unprecedented 6th Overall 1000m WC crown.
At 1500m Shani finished 8th in a race won by U.S. team-mate Joey Mantia. Despite the sub-par finish, Shani moved into the lead in a tight race for the Overall 1500m WC title. Shani is chasing his fifth Overall 1500m WC title, having won four in a row from 2008-2011.
Shani also solidified his position atop the Grand World Cup standings, which identifies the season’s top World Cup performer at all distances.
Shani now heads back to the United States to prepare for the U.S. Olympic Trials (Dec. 27-31) and the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.
[photo: Martin de Jong]
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