Bowe beats Japanese speedskaters to set 1,000m world record

When the day began, the world record was 1:12.09 and belonged to Japan's Nao Kodaira from a 2017 effort at the same Utah Olympic Oval.

Japan's Miho Takagi broke the world record with a time of 1:11.713 to take the lead in the competition.

But the mark was short-lived as Bowe followed with her record skate on home ice, shattering her prior personal best of 1:12.180 from 2015 on the same 2002 Olympic Oval.

Kodaira finished third, completing the podium in 1:11.776.

First-place finisher Brittany Bowe celebrates at the podium  in Kearns, Utah. AFP

Bowe is completing her first full season at the top level since suffering a concussion in a 2016 training accident.
Other world records fell Saturday as well.

Dutchman Kjeld Nuis won the men's 1,000m title in 1:06.183, breaking the decade-old world record of 1:06.42 set by American Shani Davis on the same oval.

Czech Martina Sablikova broke her own world record by winning the 3,000 in 3:52.027, eclipsing her prior mark of 3:53.31 from last week in Calgary.

Russia's Pavel Kulizhnikov set the men's 500m world record of 33.61 seconds, eclipsing his old mark of 33.98 on the same oval in 2015.

AFP