After the early rounds went ahead yesterday at the EnergieVerbund Arena, today finals were contested for men and women at 1,000 and 1,500 metres, with South Korea only failing to win the women’s 1,000m.

The gold medal there was claimed by Russia’s 21-year-old European champion Sofia Prosvirnova, who triumphed in the A final with a time of 1min 32.331sec to claim her first World Cup win of the season.

South Korea were only a tenth of a second away from claiming all four golds, as Choi Ji hyun, winner of five gold medals at the 2010 World Junior Championships, finished second in 1:32.424.

Taking bronze was Italy’s Cynthia Mascitto, who missed out on silver by just four thousandths of a second.

The first gold medal of the day was claimed in the women’s 1,500m, where Kim Ji Yoo triumphed in 2:23.076.

Canada’s Kim Boutin, who was fastest in yesterday’s heats by some margin with a time of 2:18.474, could not match that pace today and so had to settle for second.

She ended today’s final in 2:23.140, while The Netherlands’ European champion Suzanne Schulting came third in 2:23.200.

The Olympic champion Choi Min Jeong could finish only fifth.

In the men’s final, which went ahead afterwards. Kim Gun Woo took gold in 2:15.123

The South Korean sat second in the World Cup standings on arrival in Dresden but, thanks to his win today, he now leads.

In today’s race he beat Canada’s Charles Hamelin who finished second, while Jeong’s compatriot Lim Hyo Jun finished third in 2:15.180.

In the men’s 1,000m, Hwang Dae Heon claimed victory in 1:25.133 and is now seventh in the overall standings.

He saw off challenges from Canada’s Charlie Cournoyer, who finished second in 1:25.412.

Another South Korean, Hong Kyung Hwan, was third in 1:25.416.

Tomorrow the Dresden World Cup is due to end with finals at 500m and in the three relays.