Olympic speed skating champion Catriona LeMay Doan of Canada has clinched the women's 500 meter World Cup title. Her victory in Friday's race in Inzell, Germany gives her 700 points from seven races and an unbeatable lead in the World Cup 500 meter standings with one race left.
LeMay Doan clocked 38.60 seconds to edge Germany's Monique Garbrecht-Enfeldt by .01 of a second and extend her winning streak to 20 races. Garbrecht-Enfeldt also took the silver medal behind LeMay Doan at last month's Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
LeMay Doan has a 160 point lead over Russia's Svetlana Zhurova before Saturday's final 500 meter race of the season. Zhurova was third Friday. Also at the start of the three day season finale, Toyoki Takeda of Japan won the men's 500 in 35.57 seconds, beating Michael Ireland of Canada by .02 seconds. Dmitry Lobkov of Russia was third at 35.62. Jan Bos of the Netherlands took fourth.
None of the male Olympic medalists made the podium. Olympic 500 meter champion Casey FitzRandolph, United States, was seventh, .09 seconds off the pace.
Jeremy Wotherspoon, Canada, who shared fifth place Friday with Lee Kyu-hyuk of South Korea, holds the World Cup lead before Saturday's final race with 600 points. FitzRandolph has 535 points.