Lee Misses Out on Title
By Kim Jae-won
Staff Reporter
Lee Kyou-hyuk missed out on a third straight victory at the ISU World Sprint Speed Skating Championships in Moscow, Sunday.
The South Korean sprinter's run came to an end after he slipped during the men's 1000 meters and couldn't complete the race.
Lee, 30, on top until Saturday, fell to second following a 5th place showing in the 500-meter race. Despite valiant efforts to regain 1st place, he made a mistake, which led to the slip.
The former champion started the 1000-meter race with powerful skating, but he suddenly fell down and crashed into the fence, perhaps affected by an excessive desire to win.
Resilient Lee now has his eyes set on greater glory.
``I'd like to win the gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in 2010,'' he said at a press conference in Moscow.
His best finish at the Olympics was 5th, which was recorded in the 1000-meter race in Torino in 2006.
``I will grab the next championship cup,'' Lee added.
Shani Davis of the United States took the men's 1,000-meter crown. The 2006 Olympic gold medallist registered a track record, to pick up the title, finishing in 1 minute, 8.66 seconds. Denny Morrison of Canada was second in 1 min 8.55 seconds, with Yevgeny Lalenkov of Russia in third with a time of 1:09.52.
South Korean Lee Sang-hwa ended up 9th in the women's competition, with her best showing a third-placed finish in the 500m race.