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50
laps is a long way on your own to some skaters.
The ones who feel it is a long way, would
not get to complete the total number of
laps in this race. The elminination bell
sounds often and after the bell lap another
name, race number and country is announced
over the loud speakers in both Spanish and
English.When there was only 19 laps left
in the race and 14 girls it bécame
increasingly more difficult for the girls
to find a space in the walll of women, spready
out completely across the finish line, trying
to avoid the camera eye and prevent being
the last skater across the line. Despirate
moves were taking place, including grabbing
at lycra trying to "sling-shot"
their way through the pack and into the
front line. Another alternative was to "swim"
with their arms and some time elblows endevoring
to remove themselves from the back line.
Physically trying to make a space was a
dangerous move, but the alternative was
elimination and that was to be avoided at
all costs.
With only 9 laps to go, #19, one of the
Colombian skaters went down, and ws un-abel
to recover and continue the race. She was
later removed from the road on a stretcher
with a neck brace in place). Several warnings
were given, inlcuding one o the remaining
Colombian skater. Eliminations were missed,
as the fallen skaters who were un-able to
resume the race used up the elimination
laps. Chile and Korea caught skates and
both went down with only 4 laps to go. A
French skater was down also, but she picked
herself up and got back into her stride.
She was saved from immediate elimination
only becasue other skaters had not rejoined
the race. She tried in vain and lapped bravely
for 3 more laps, till her number was called.
Colombia, determined to Split the 2 Italian
skaters moved smartly into second place,
however the Italians were also determined
to be together and the skater in third,
moved around the outside to take the lead
and be in front of her team mate. Not to
be outdone, the Korean skater, Mi Young
Kim, moved into the lead, also a very smart
move, as she had no one left in the race
to assist her. After the final eliminations
and the last lightening lap, Mi Young Kim
was able to hold off others for the bronze
medal.
It was a very proud moment for Germany,
as Sabine Berg snatched the gold medal,
in a 3 way lunge, to the delighted screams
of her team mates. Italy was also proud
of the result of Francesca Lollobrigida,
the blonde bombshell of the Italian team
who took silver. After 50 laps, there had
been the barest minimum of difference in
the photo finish pictures, which delayed
the results till the final decisions were
made. It was one of the most exciting finshes
ever witnessed in a distance race.
20,000m
Elimination: Junior Men: Only 15m
from the start line, after the gun had ben
fired, a collision casued 3 skaters to fall.
Iran, Australia and Panama. Though they
tried to get back inot the race and catch
the pack, as the fall did not casue the
race ot be restarted, they wer eliminated
in subsequent laps. From lap 43, except
for falls and elimination due to fault (disqualification)
eliminations occured so fast that only half
the pack was left. Argentina and Portugal
colided and were down on the track. Spain
fell, Korea eliminiated for fault and the
numbers swindled rapidily. Ecuador was called,
but it is very good to see some of the smaller
and less funded countries have such a good
level of skating that they remained in the
race so long. Portugal, showed they are
much better on raod then track, but lasted
only till there were 6 laps to go. The second
of the Korean skaters was unabel to fling
himself over the line, and he too was eliminated.
The French had also shown their ability
on the road was better than on the track,
but with 4 laps left, they were asked ot
leave the road. The Colombian junior men
were showing their tiredness, after being
in residency, training for the world championships
for the past 6 or 7 weeks, now showed they
perhaps were more tired than they had shown,
also eliminated. 5 young men skated the
last lap for fame. Again it came down to
a lunge on the line, with Italy and Belgium
again making the judges work hearder, the
photo finish had to be used to confirm that
Italy had again won gold. The Netherlands
was veyr excited to have gained a bronze
medal in the elimination race.
500m
Junior Ladies: The race was over
almost before it started. To make amends
for the painfully slow way in which the
heats and semi finals had been handled,
the officials were prepared to stop for
nothing. As they have done on track, the
Korean skater took the race to the other
girls. Coming out of the final corner she
picked up speed and was clearly the winner,
after coming around the outside of the pack,
skating strongly down the final straight
and out-lunging both Francesca of Italy,
who took silver and Omela of Argentina..
As she was handed the Korean flag and started
to do her victory lap, the spectators were
surprised to hear the starting pistol go
off and the Junior Men's 500 final was under
way. So Yeong Shin, the winner of the Junior
Ladies 500m was only 1/3 way around the
track with the flag, taking in the cheers
of the crowd as she skated past them.
500m
Junior Men: As chance would have
it, since more than one person was still
on the track from the previous race, as
the junior men's race approached the first
bend in the road, a collision took place
and the outcome was that Chad Home of the
USA team was unable to leave the track unaided.
He sat on the side of the road, with medical
assistance, watching, unable to participate
in the race that he had trained for, for
the past 12 months. The road was now cleared
and the race able to be restarted with the
four remaining skaters. Joseph of Colombia
skated the race of his life. He was lifted
by the huge Colombia crowd and did not disappoint
them. Closely followed out of the final
turn by his team mate Pedro, they cleverly
covered the inside running and 2nd from
the inside. The shortest way around the
road had been taken. The young Australian,
Daniel, who had shown fantastic speed in
the Time Trial, was unable to summon up
enough strength to go around the other competitors
on this occasion.
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