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VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- If you gasped Thursday as Heather Richardson's name slipped down the leaderboard in the women's 1,000-meter speedskating event at the Vancouver Olympics, don't worry.

U.S. speedskating legend Bonnie Blair says the High Point native's pair of top-10 finishes (sixth in 500 on Tuesday, ninth in 1,000 on Thursday) at these games show Richardson belongs among the sport's elite.

"That's a great finish for her," Blair said of the 20-year-old. "That's great encouragement going into the 1,500. I still think that should give her the boost and that confidence. She's having a great Olympics."

Blair, who earned her six career Olympic medals at the shorter distances, says Richardson should be buoyed by her finish Thursday, since she didn't have a perfect race.

"My legs just felt like they were on fire," Richardson said Thursday. "They were just feeling heavy and you're trying to keep your tip bow up, and I tripped a little bit."

So, Blair said, if Richardson can skate a clean race, look for her to notch another strong finish in the final individual effort of her Olympics debut.

"Quite a few of the girls were struggling like that, and I think part of that has to do with the ice being at sea level. The conditions aren't quite as fast ... as she's used to (after training) in the Salt Lake City area," Blair said.

The race is 50 percent longer than the 1,000 on Sunday, so look for skaters who have quicker turnover to do better, Blair said.

"The 1,500 once again takes it to that next level. That last lap is always going to be difficult, no matter what. If she really starts it out hard, goes for it from the gun and gets into a great rhythm early on and keeps that tempo up, that can help her."

Look for the leaderboard to be much the same as it was at the end of Thursday's race, with Canadian and Dutch skaters contending for the medals. Canada's Christine Nesbitt, who won Thursday, is again seen as a strong favorite for gold in Sunday's event, which begins at 6 p.m. at the speedskating oval in suburban Richmond, British Columbia.