S.Korean Lee wins men's 1,500m speed skating

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-02-01 09:15

South Korean Lee Kyou Hyuk snatched the men's 1,500m speed skating gold here on Wednesday at the 6th Asian Winter Games.


South Korean Lee Kyou Hyuk waves the national flag to the audiences after he snatched the men's 1,500m speed skating gold hereJan.31,2007 at the 6th Asian Winter Games held in Changchun,northeast China's Jilin Province.[Xinhua]
Lee, runner-up in the 500m on Tuesday, leveled with the Asian record to win in one minute 49.13 seconds.

Gao Xuefeng of China finished second in 1:49.24 before Mun Joon brought South Korea a bronze in 1:49.79.

In the opening event of the afternoon, 3,000m Asian Games gold medalist Wang Fei excelled in the women's 1,500m.

Wang, 24, clocked a Asian record breaking time of two minutes 0.49 seconds, beating the previous best of 2:01.02 to lift her second title here following her triumph in the opening race of the Games on Monday.

It is the second time that Wang broke the Asian record here. She refreshed the 3,000m Asian mark in 4:13.08.

"I was both nervous and excited but now I am surprisingly calm. Actually, when I won in the 3,000m the other day, I was more excited. Since the 1,500m is my favorite event, I was more prepared to win," she said.

With Chinese speed skating No.1 Wang Manli sitting out the Games citing injury, Wang Fei thought two gold medals were not enough for her to occupy the top position in Chinese women's speed skating.

"I still have a long way to go. Through each competition, I will find flaws and make improvement. So don't call me No.1 speed skater now, " she said.

Wang, 34, bagged a silver medal in 500m in Turin Olympics last year.

Lee Ju Youn of South Korea took silver in 2:01.60 while Chinese Ji Jia came third in 2:01.82.



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