HEERENVEEN, Netherlands (AP) - Olympic speedskating 10,000-meter champion Jorrit Bergsma won the final World Cup 5,000 race of the season Sunday to seal the title in the combined long-distance rankings.
Bergsma finished in 6 minutes, 13.80 seconds, more than five seconds ahead of second placed Jan Blokhuijsen, his Netherlands teammate who won silver in Sochi, where Bergsma took bronze in a Dutch sweep led by Sven Kramer.
Aleksandr Rumyantsev of Russia was third Sunday at the Thialf oval.
Kramer, who won the first three races of the World Cup season, ended his season after the Sochi Games.
The World Cup long distance title is contested over five 5,000 races and one 10,000 meters.
Ireen Wust of the Netherlands won the 1,000, leading a Dutch sweep with Margot Boer second and Lotte van Beek third.
At the end of a tough year for U.S. speedskaters, Heather Richardson finally provided something to smile about by taking the season title ahead of fellow American Brittany Bowe. Olga Fatkulina of Russia was third.
Fatkulina earlier won her second 500-meter race of the weekend to take the World Cup title. Jenny Wolf of Germany - who announced her retirement on Friday, was second and Richardson third.
Richardson ended the season second and Wolf third.
Jan Smeekens won the second men’s 500 race of the weekend from twins Ronald and Michel Mulder, who finished second and third respectively.
Ronald Mulder finished first in the season rankings, ahead of his brother and Olympic champion, Michel. Smeekens’ victory secured third place in the standings.
The Olympic champion Dutch women won the team pursuit from Poland and third-place Japan. The Netherlands was unbeaten in the season’s four pursuit races.
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