KEARNS, Utah (AP) — JR Celski made an inside move with half a lap remaining to win the 1,000 meters and skated to an easy victory in the 1,500 for a sweep of the men’s races Saturday at the U.S. Single Distance Short Track Speedskating Championships.
Skating for the splinter FAST team, Celski clinched a spot on the fall World Cup team. Jessica Smith, who remains part of the U.S. National Racing Program, also clinched a spot on the World Cup team. Smith was second to Lana Gehring in the 1500 on both Friday and Saturday but won Saturday’s 1000, as well as the 500 on Friday and both time trials Thursday.
Ten skaters will have automatically qualified when racing concludes Sunday. The athletes have until Oct. 7 to accept. Two discretionary picks won’t be named until after an arbitration hearing regarding a coaching abuse scandal concludes in early October.
