World Sprint Speed Skating champion Brittany Bowe of the United States claimed the narrowest of World Cup triumphs as victory in the final 1,000 metres race of the season saw her take the women's crown by just three points in the German city. 

Bowe's recorded a time of 1min 14.61sec across the distance to finish ahead of her team-mate Heather Richardson and The Netherlands Marrit Leenstra, second and third in 1:15.13 and 1:15.78 respectively.

The 0.65 seconds gap between Richardson and Leenstra proved to be pivotal in the overall World Cup race, as it allowed Bowe to leapfrog the Dutchwoman in the standings, with the American claiming the 1,000m crown on 510 points, while Leenstra finished as the runner up on 507.

There was further American success as Richardson secured her second 500m victory of the weekend in 37.77sec, with Bowe 0.20 seconds behind her compatriot in 37.97.

Japan's Nao Kodaira completed the podium in 38.49, a result that saw her claim the overall 500m World Cup title on 926 points, ahead of Sang-Hwa Lee's 880, after the South Korean was absent for the final two races of the season.

Canada's Denny Morrison won the men's 1,500m in Erfurt to take the overall World Cup title ©Getty Images



In the remaining two races of the women's World Cup season, Martina Sábliková of the Czech Republic reigned supreme, firstly taking gold in the 3,000m in 4:04.06, finishing 1.58 and 3.79 seconds ahead of Dutch pair Marije Joling and Diane Valkenberg.

Sábliková victory saw her comfortably claim the overall 3,000m title with 580 points, with Germany's Claudia Pechstein some way adrift on 360.

The three-time Olympic champion then dominated the women's mass start event, finishing nearly 15 seconds clear of Japan's Nana Takagi and Italy's Francesca Lollobrigida to win in 9:01.76.

Despite her victory, Sábliková finished third overall in the mass start standings, with Canada's Ivanie Blondin taking the title on 466 points, 34 clear of The Netherlands Irene Schouten.

In the men's equivalent event, Belgium's Bart Swings claimed the narrowest of victories finishing 0.02 seconds ahead of The Netherlands' Jorrit Bergsma to win in 8:10.29.

Swings, however, finished some way adrift of Seung-Hoon Lee in the overall standings with the South Korean's 450 points enough to claim the title.

Canada's Denny Morrison secured the men's 1,500m World Cup by just four points after winning the final race of the season in 1:46.16, finishing ahead of his rival Sverre Lunde Pedersen by 0.36 seconds to leapfrog the Norwegian in standings.

Pavel Kulizhnikov was crowned 500m World Cup champion after yesterday's race and his fellow Russian Ruslan Murahov claimed victory in the final race of the season in 34.97 to win from Canada's Laurent Dubreuil and The Netherland's Michel Mulder, who tied for second in 35.10.

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