World Championships:

Mantia Strikes Gold
Italian woman, Colombian juniors win 300 meters

By Robert "Just the Factoids" Burnson
Saturday, Aug. 18, 2007

Joey Mantia gave USA its first gold of the World Championships tonight with a win in the 300-meter time trial.

The 21-year-old from Olympia, WA, skated a near-perfect race to post a time of 24.756 seconds in the finals of today's sprint event in Cali, Colombia.

After skating, he waited in the infield as the nine racers with faster times in the qualifying rounds tried to beat his mark. One by one, they fell short.

Finally, there was only one skater left: the 300-meter world record holder Gregorio Duggento of Italy.

Duggento, looking a little off his top form, posted a time of 25.018 seconds, which was only good enough for the bronze.

France's Julien Despaux won the silver with a time of 24.872.

Mantia's time was two-hundredths of a second off of Duggento's world mark of 24.72. The winner of last year's 300 meters, Kalon Dobbin of New Zealand, pulled a groin muscle in a practice session and was unable to race.

Women's Race

In the women's race, Italy claimed its second gold medal on the championships with a powerful sprint by Nicoletta Falcone.

Junior Gold

Colombia's Pedro Caucil won the junior men's (under 18) 300 meters; teammate Elizabeth Arnedo Cancio won the junior women's race. Mariah Richardson finished second to give USA's its first silver medal (second medal overall) of the day-old championships.

Top Finishers:

300-meter Time Trial (track)

Men

1. Joey Mantia, USA, 24.756
2. Julien Despaux, France, 24.872
3. Gregorio Duggento, Italy, 25.018

Women

1. Nicoletta Falcone, Italy, 26.971
2. Berenice Moreno Atencia, Colombia, 27.005
3. Erika Zanetti, Italy, 27.045

6. Brittany Bowe, USA, 27.125

7. Heather Richardson, USA, 27.285

Junior Women

1. Elizabeth Arnedo Cancio, Colombia, 27.383
2. Mariah Richardson, USA, 27.611
3. Sara Vallejo Valencia, Colombia, 27.617

Junior Men

1. Pedro Caucil, 25, 25.018
2. Daniel Greig, Australia, 25.054
3. Carlos Puerto Canon, Colombia, 25.077

7. Chad Horne, USA, 25.635

8. Keith Carroll, USA, 25.786

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