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Fredricks third in final World Cup event

Tucker Fredricks of Janesville finished third in the men’s 500 meter final At Kearns, Utah, Saturday in the last long-track speedskating World Cup before the Vancouver Olympics.

Fredricks was third in 34.35, one of two podium finishes for the U.S. on the second day of the three-day meet at the Utah Olympic Oval. He edged Canadian Jamie Gregg by .001 seconds. On Friday, Fredricks was fifth in the same event.

“I had a few bobbles in the first turn, but things went well, a lot better than yesterday,” Fredricks said. “I’m in a pretty good position. Now I’ve got two months and got to put two really good races together.”

With the third-place finish, Fredricks collected his second bronze medal in World Cup. He also has gold and silver medals.

Fredricks plans to enter two or three races at the U.S. Championships, also at the Utah Olympic Oval, Dec. 26-30. The meet serves as a last-chance opportunity for American skaters to try to bump someone for the Olympic team.

Meanwhile, A couple of Olympic veterans easily triumphed over Americans Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick in the 5,000 meters.

Enrico Fabris of Italy won the 5,000 meters in 6 minutes, 6.06 seconds. He was the bronze medalist in the event at the 2006 Turin Games, winning his country’s first Olympic speedskating medal.

Bob de Jong of the Netherlands finished second in 6:08.76, followed by Ivan Skobrev of Russia in 6:10.58. Dutchman Carl Verheijen was fifth in the 12½-lap race.

With his mouth hanging wide open over the final five laps, Hedrick was sixth in 6:13.51. Davis was ninth among 20 skaters in 6:15.64.

Earlier, Davis finished 17th in the 500.

Davis and Hedrick went 1-2 in the 1,500 on Friday, with Davis lowering his world record in the event.

Like Hedrick, Jennifer Rodriguez is making a comeback. The two-time Olympian, who skipped the 2006 Games, finished third in the women’s 1,500 behind Canadians Christine Nesbitt and Kristina Groves.

In the women’s 500, Wang Beixing of China won in 37.02.

Jenny Wolf of Germany was second in 37.17 — 17 hundredths of a second off the world record she set in the event Friday. Lee Sang-Hwa of South Korea was third in 37.24.

American Elli Ochowicz was ninth.