World Championships:

First Golds Claimed by South Korea
Koreans clean up in 10,000 meters

By Robert "Just the Factoids" Burnson
Saturday, Aug. 18, 2007

South Korea arrived at the 2007 World Championships ready to skate.

They won the first three gold medals today with commanding wins in the junior women's, junior men's and women's 10,000-meter points eliminations.

Italy's Fabio Francolini won the gold in the men's event. The U.S. team of Joey Mantia and Jonathan Garcia threatened early but finished out of the medals.

Garcia, 20, of Houston, TX, led the U.S. attack and collected a few points in the early goings of the race. But a charge by the two Colombian skaters took Mantia and Garcia out of the race.

At that point, the protaganists were Italy's Francolini, France's Yann Guyader and New Zealand's Scott Arlidge.

At the finish it was Arlidge and a Korea's Sang Bok Lee in front. But Francolini won on points.

Women's 10,000 Meters

USA's Emily Scott shot to the lead at the start of the women's 10,000-meter points elimination. But she could not hold the lead against the Korean women and New Zealand's Nicole Begg.

Begg passed Scott on the inside going around a corner to grab a point. With that, the U.S. women (Scott and Amber Yarborough) faded out of contention.

Korea's Hyo Sook Woo took over the lead and started collecting points, which are awarded to the skater who crosses the line first on selected laps. Begg and Colombia's Liana Holguin challenged the Korean. But in the end Woo took the gold.

Junior Men's 10,000 Meters

As in the women's race, USA grabbed the lead at the start of the junior men's 10,000-meter elimination with Colin Thomas shooting to the front.

But the lead wouldn't hold. First, the Colombian boys shot to the lead, then Italy and finally Korea's Young So Won.

Won took a big lead and won the race and the gold.

Junior Women's 10,000 Meters

The Korean girls, Seul Ki Kook and Seul Lee, shot ahead of the pack at the midway point in the race and never looked back.

By the end of the race, they were beginning to lap the field.

Kook won the gold; Lee, the silver. Italy's Roberta Casu took the bronze. The U.S. girls were never a factor.

Top Finishers:

10,000-meter points elimination

Men

1. Fabio Francolini, Italy, 15 points
2. Scott Arlidge, New Zealand, 12
3. Yann Guyader, France, 10

5. Jonathan Garcia, USA, 5

Women

1. Hyo Sook Woo, South Korea, 16 points
2. Liana Holguin, Colombia, 14
3. Nicole Begg, New Zealand, 11

Junior Women

1. Seul Ki Kook, South Korea, 30
2. Seul Lee, South Korea, 15
3. Roberta Casu, Italy, 6

7. Briana Kramer, USA, 2

Junior Men

1. Young So Won, South Korea, 28
2. Davide Amabile, Italy, 11
3. Bart Swings, Belgium, 10

...