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Racing news: Records Tumble at Indoor Nationals U.S. skaters put a torch to the record book this week in a blazing show of talent and Big Wheel prowess at the Indoor National Speed Skating Championships. Luigino's Joey Mantia of Ocala, Fla., broke both the U.S. men's indoor 100 and 500 meter records. His time in the 100 meters was 9.789 seconds, nearly two-tenths of a second faster than the old mark of 9.952 set by Stephen Carter in 2002. In the 500 meters, Mantia shattered the old record by more than a second. Skating in a semi-final heat Tuesday, he posted a time of 43.82 seconds (unofficial). The old mark of 45.150 seconds was set last year by Jeremy Anderson. Mantia's teammate Brittany Bowe also chopped more than a second off the 500 meter indoor record. Skating in the finals, which she won, the 18-year-old posted a time of 46.127 seconds. The old mark of 47.540 was set by former U.S. national champion Julie Glass in 2003.
Another record came from Tru-Rev's Brianna Kramer. She posted a winning time of 8 minutes and 52.004 seconds in the 5000 points elimination, 4 seconds faster than the old mark. And it wasn't only elite racers setting records. Skaters shattered records across the divisions from Tiny Tot to Grand Veterans. In all, more than 20 records were broken in the individual events, which ended Wednesday. (Twenty were broken in the finals alone. No official results were yet available for the heats.) And more records fell today in the relay events. But Why? The use of 100mm wheels is getting most of the credit for the rash of new records, although the larger wheels started appearing at Indoor Nationals two years ago. "I don't think the wheels are that much better than they were last year," said race official Jim White. "But the skaters have learned how to skate on them." Another thing that may be contributing to the fast times is the slick skating surface. The races were held at the Pershing Center in Lincoln, Neb., on USA Roller Sports' portable wood floor, which was newly coated with 40 or 50 gallons of fresh roll-on sealer. But there's no denying the talent of the racers at Indoor Nationals this year. "For whatever reason, the skaters are just better," White said. "They are training harder; the coaching is getting better, the older kids are helping the younger ones. "The sport is just maturing." Latest headlines:
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