Awesome Lee retains women's 500m speed skating crown

February 12, 2014 | 09:11

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Unbeatable South Korean Lee Sang-hwa destroyed the field on Tuesday to retain her 500m speed skating crown in a new Olympic record time -- underlining her total domination of the sprint event.

South Korea's Lee Sang-hwa competes in the women's speed skating 500m at the Adler Arena during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. (AFP/Andrej Isakovic)

SOCHI: Unbeatable South Korean Lee Sang-hwa destroyed the field on Tuesday to retain her 500m speed skating crown in a new Olympic record time -- underlining her total domination of the sprint event.

Lee, 24, who has proved untouchable in 2013/14, winning all seven World Cup races she has entered, notched a combined time of 74.70sec from her two races.

Russia's Olga Fatkulina (75.06) took silver while the Netherlands' Margot Boer (75.48) won bronze at the Adler Arena.

"I was very surprised that there have been no medals for the Korean men," said Lee.

"Of course I thought of everyone and this made me even more determined to get the gold medal for Korea."

Leading by 0.15sec after a clocking 37.42 in the first race, Lee -- clad in a dark-blue suit and wraparound glasses -- went in the final pair second time around and never looked remotely like missing out on gold.

Lee broke the 500m world record four times in 2013, trimming the mark from 36.80 to 36.36 seconds.

She is the third speed skater after American Bonnie Blair and Canada's Catriona le May Doan to win multiple gold medals in the event. Blair won it three times.

AFP

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