Wins for Kodaira, Bergsma, Ihle at speedskating World Cup
BERLIN (AP) Japan's Nao Kodaira won her fifth speedskating World Cup of the season in the 500 meters to reclaim her lead in the standings Friday, while Nico Ihle delighted home supporters by winning the men's race over the same distance.
Kodaira defeated Czech skater Karolina Erbanova by 0.69 seconds and Russian Olga Fatkulina by 0.93, overtaking China's Yu Jing, who didn't race.
Jing has 452 points while Kodaira, who set a season's personal best in Berlin, has 500 after seven races.
Germany's Ihle edged Japan's Yuma Murakami by 0.14. Russia's Pavel Kulizhnikov didn't race due to injury but still leads on 425 points.
Heather Bergsma of the United States edged Kodaira by seven hundredths of a second to extend her lead with her fourth 1000 win of the season, while Peter Michael of New Zealand won the men's 1500.
