Two top 20 finishes for the U.S. in the Ladies 1500m
February 21, 2010—Richmond, B.C.
After putting in super performances in their 500m and 1000m events, Heather Richardson (High Point, NC) and Jen Rodriguez (Miami, FL) struggled in their Ladies 1500m races at the Richmond Olympic Oval. Finishing in 16th place with a time of 1:59.56, Richardson said, “I’ve had two top 10 finishes and this wasn’t really a bad race. . .I’m happy with it.”
Rodriguez, the current American record holder for this distance, skated the final pair with Christine Nesbitt (CAN), crossing the finish line in 18th place with 2:00.08. In what Rodriguez called “a rough race,” she said she was on pace but expending too much energy at the beginning. “I didn’t really have any snap,” she said. “It was hard work from the get-go.”
Although this was her last individual event for this Games, she hasn’t ruled out coming back in 2014. Rodriguez will skate in the team pursuit event on Friday.
Jilleanne Rookard (Woodhaven, MI) skated to a 24th place finish, ending her race with a 2:01.95. A former inline skater, Rookard likes the longer distances and is looking forward to her 5000m event on Wednesday.
“My 5K is my best race so I’m looking forward to then,” Rookard said. “This 1500m is a little bit of a challenge for me.”
Catherine Raney Norman (Elm Grove, WI) was a last-minute addition to the 1500m roster, only finding out yesterday she’d be skating the event. Her time of 2:03.02 put her in 31st overall.
Ireen Wust (NED) won the event with 1:56.89. Kristina Groves (CAN) finished in second with 1:57.14 and Martina Sablikova (CZE) took the bronze with a time of 1:57.96.
Racing continues at the Richmond Olympic Oval on Tuesday, February 23 with the Men’s 10,000m. Ryan Bedford (Midland, MI) and Jonathan Kuck (Champaign, IL) will represent Team USA.