HAMAR, Norway -- Jennifer Rodriguez of the United States won the 1,500-meter event Sunday, and Gianni Romme of the Netherlands captured the men's 5,000 at the season-opening World Cup speedskating meet.
Rodriguez held off Canada's Cindy Klassen by 0.33 seconds, winning in 1 minute, 57.02 seconds in the Viking Ship, built for the 1994 Olympics. Klassen, the 2003 world allround champion, made her comeback in this meet after injuring her arm during training and missing last season.
Chiara Simionato of Italy placed third in 1:57.84. Catherine Raney of the United States was 16th in 2:00.51.
Canada edged the United States by 0.20 seconds to win the women's 4,400-meter team pursuit, a new World Cup event this season. The Canadian threesome was timed in 3:05.45.
Romme won in 6:19.06 seconds before a sparse crowd. Oystein Grodum of Norway was second, setting a national record in 6:20.88 and finishing among the top three in a World Cup race for the first time. Bob de Jong, another Dutch skater, was third in 6:22.04.
Chad Hedrick of the United States, a former inline champion who broke the men's world overall points record, finished seventh (6:29.05). Another American, KC Boutiette, was ninth (6:29.70).
