J.R. Celski wins first speedskating race since 2010 Olympics

Federal Way native and Olympic medalist J.R. Celski swept the American Cup 1 last weekend, including the 1,000-meter and 1,500-meter speedskating superfinal. It was Celski's first meet since the 2010 Winter Olympics, where he won a bronze medal.

October 4, 2011 3:48 pm
J.R. Celski sweeps the 1500m and 500m A finals on Day 1 of American Cup 1 in Chesterfield
J.R. Celski sweeps the 1500m and 500m A finals on Day 1 of American Cup 1 in Chesterfield

From staff reports:

Federal Way native and Olympic medalist J.R. Celski swept the American Cup 1 last weekend, including the 1,000-meter and 1,500-meter speedskating superfinal. It was Celski’s first meet since the 2010 Winter Olympics, where he won a bronze medal.

The race was held at the Hardee’s Iceplex in Chesterfield, Mo. Sweeping all distances during the weekend, Celski finished atop the American Cup Overall Classification with 4,000 points and was named to the 2011 Fall World Cup team.

“It felt great to be back in competition this weekend,” said Celski in a news release. “I’m excited to be skating with the team again, and I look forward to making progress this season with them and hopefully we can win a lot of races.”

The American Cup I is U.S. Speedskating’s qualifier for the first four World Cup meets. Full results from the American Cup 1 competition are posted online at usspeedskating.org. Also visit the U.S. Speedskating page on Facebook.