体坛英语新闻：Sablikova withstands challenge for her 13th speed skating World Cup title

THE HAGUE, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Twelve-time winner Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic edged Canadian Isabelle Weidemann by four points for another women's long distance World Cup title on Saturday.

Although the Canadian won the 3,000m race in the ISU Speed Skating World Cup Finals in Heerenveen, the Netherlands, in three minutes and 59.759 seconds and the Czech finished fourth, it was enough for Sablikova to top the final standings.

In the 3,000m race, Antoinette de Jong of the Netherlands came second in 4:00.035 and Russia's world record holder Natalia Voronina was the third. However, neither of them managed to surpass Ivanie Blondin of Canada, who was thrid overall.

Patrick Roest safely took home the men's long distance trophy, his career first World Cup, after his fifth win this season in as many World Cup races he featured in.

The Dutch crossed the line in 6:11.152 seconds in the men's 5,000m on Saturday, 1.67 seconds ahead of Canada's Graeme Fish, who was third on the overall table. Russia's Danila Semerikov, despite a fourth finish, kept his second place on the overall standings.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Dutch Thomas Krol stood on top of the men's 1,000m podium in 1:07.858, which enabled him to overcome the two-point disadvantage to his former roommate Kai Verbij ahead of the final and claimed the title. Season runner-up Verbij finished third behind Laurent Dubreuil of Canada, who was third on the overall standings.

World record holder Brittany Bowe of the United States retained her title thanks to her three consecutive wins in the first half of the season and a second-place finish in the women's 1,000m in Heerenveen. Jutta Leerdam was the winner of the race in 1:13.699, but absence from one leg kept her in the fourth overall behind Kodaira Nao of Japan and Olga Fatkulina of Russia.

In the first women's 500m competition on Saturday, Vanessa Herzog of Austria, winner of the past two season, finally secured a win this season in 37.319 seconds, 0.02 seconds ahead of Fatkulina. Current World Cup leader Kodaira was very close to the trophy after coming third in 37.392. The Japanese Olympic champion stands 32 points ahead of Fatkulina.

In the men's section, Japan's Shinhama Tatsuya jumped to top of the 500m standings after finishing first in 34.317 seconds. But it's not time for the newly-crowned world champion to celebrate as Russia's duo Viktor Mushtakov and Ruslan Murashov, as well as South Korea's Kim Joon-ho, are trailing closely behind. None of them had won a World Cup title before and all of them stand a chance.

The second men's and women's 500m race will be contested on Sunday when the 2019-20 season conclude after welcoming the World Cup winners of men's and women's 1,500m and mass start and a demonstration event of mixed gender relay.