Olympic champion Ohno win his first title in short track worlds

Apolo Anton Ohno from the United States lifted his first title in the 2005 world short track speed skating championships Sunday in Beijing.

Having finished last two day's competitions empty handed, Ohno raced to his first men's 1,000m world title in a time of 1 minute 30.066 seconds.

The American skating star, who scored a remarkable maximum of 200 points to top the men's overall final rankings, overcame the embarrassment as he was disqualified earlier in the championships, in 1,500m and 500m semi-finals.

In the men's 1,000m final, the four finalists exchanged temporary lead after fierce scrambles. After taking over the lead two laps from the finish line, Ohno, the 1,500m gold medallist and 1,000m runner-up in 2002 Winter Olympic Games, never gave his rivals any chance on Sunday.

South Korean Ahn Hyun-soo, who ranked second in men's 1,000m final World Cup standings of 2004-2005 season, finished second in 1:30.206. The 19-year-old won his third consecutive 1500m world title on the opening day and took a bronze medal in Saturday's 500m final.

Chinese veteran Li Jiajun, world record holder in men's 1,000m, came third in 1:30.641.

Previously, South Korean skaters took the top two places in the women's 1,000m.

Defending world champion Choi Eun-kyung, number one in World Cup standings of this season, sped home first in 1:31.085, followed by 16-year-old compatriot Jin Sun-yu, winner of the 1,500m race here on Friday. Jin was timed at 1:31.232.

For Chinese skater Wang Meng, the overall leader in World Cup standings, Sunday's 100m event was just like a copy of the 1,500m final. The 19-year-old struggled again with South Korean trio and had to settle for the bronze medal in 1:31.343.

China's comeback Olympic champion Yang Yang (A) was disqualified for cross-tracking in the semi-finals.