Speed skater Hendrik Dombek was unable to maintain his strong level at the Sprint and All-Around World Championships in Inzell.
After a strong seventh place at halftime, the 26-year-old from Munich took 13th place in the final sprint rankings on Friday after a weak third run.
For Dombek it was only enough for 21st place over 500 m after he had finished eighth the day before. Dombek then showed his class again over twice the distance: after ninth place on Thursday, he took seventh place. China’s Ning Zhongyan took the title ahead of Jenning de Boo from the Netherlands and Canadian Olympic silver medalist Laurent Dubreuil.
In the women’s category, Anna Ostlender also came in 13th. The local hero improved by one place on the decisive day. Japan’s Miho Takagi took the gold medal ahead of Femke Kok and Jutta Leerdam from the Netherlands.
The World Cup concludes with the All-Around World Championships on Saturday and Sunday. The men’s four-way competition takes place over 500, 5,000, 1,500 and 10,000 meters. Then child prodigy Jordan Stolz (19) also goes on the ice. The six-time world champion from the USA skips the sprint disciplines to win all-around gold for the first time.