Jennifer Rodriguez cruises to easy win in the 1,500 meters at US speedskating trials

J-Rod cruises to easy win in 1,500

MILWAUKEE — Jennifer Rodriguez has won another event at the U.S. speedskating trials, cruising to an easy win in the 1,500 meters.

Rodriguez, a three-time Olympian and two-time medalist, let up at the end and still crossed in 1 minutes, 58.45 seconds, more than 1½ seconds ahead of runner-up Jilleanne Rookard (2:01.07).

Maria Lamb was third at 2:02.52 and Nancy Swider-Peltz claimed the fourth spot on the World Cup team at 2:01.65.

This meet is the first step toward earning a place on the U.S. Olympic team, which will be picked based on the results of the next five World Cup meets.