Long Track Speed Skating

Yesterday, speed skater Christine Nesbitt didn't share the limelight with any woman in the World Cup 1,500 metres in Berlin, but today, she'll share a bear. That's the foot-tall chocolate bear organizers gave her on the podium as the 24-year-old London, Ont., skater packs into a bus with teammates for an eight-hour trek to the next World Cup stop in Heerenveen, The Netherlands.

Nesbitt glided to her second gold medal in as many days, decisively winning the 1,500 at the season-opening meet as Canadian women served notice they will dominate the distance. Three Canadians finished in the top four positions, and Speed Skating Canada's director of sport, Brian Rahill, called the Berlin meet the first, solid building block in the five World Cups used to determine Canada's 2010 Vancouver Olympic lineup.

"This was a first for me, to win two golds in the same meet on consecutive days," said Nesbitt, who opened up her Olympic season with a gold in the 1,000 metres Saturday. She sped through the 1,500 metres in 1 minute 55.54 seconds, nearly a second and a half better than the Czech Republic's Martina Sablikova's second-place time of 1:56.99.

"But it would be ridiculous to start calling me this year's Cindy Klassen," Nesbitt said, referring to the woman who won five medals for Canada at the 2006 Turin Games.

Brittany Schussler of Winnipeg was third in yesterday's 1,500 while Kristina Groves of Ottawa was fourth in 1:57.62.

"I think Christine's times speak for themselves. She's on fire right now," Schussler said.

Nesbitt said she still wants to qualify for the Olympic 500-metre event, after finishing a career-best ninth in Berlin, and the relay.

Almost as big news as the near-sweep, Klassen, of Winnipeg, showed she's progressing well after surgery on both her knees last year with a top-10 result. Klassen, a six-time Olympic medalist, was ninth in 1:58.63.

Another leading hopeful in Vancouver, Denny Morrison of Fort St. John, B.C., picked up Canada's third medal yesterday, a bronze in the men's 1,500. His time of 1:45.69 left him just over a second back of American gold medalist Shani Davis in 1:44.47.

Davis set a track record in winning his other gold at the meet, 1:08.53 in the 1,000 metres. Surprisingly, the Dutch team was not prominent on the podium.

"Maybe they're saving themselves, maybe they're on to something. You want to be at your best for the Olympics, not now," Morrison said.\

Eight-time world championship medalist Jeremy Wotherspoon of Red Deer, Alta., regaining form after shattering his upper arm in six places last season, says he's not joining the circuit in Europe, waiting for fast times and great ice at the Calgary and Salt Lake City ovals.