South Korean speed skater Lee Sang-hwa finished her 2015-2016 World Cup season ranked No. 4.

The International Skating Union (ISU) Speed Skating World Cup season wrapped in the Dutch city of Heerenveen Saturday with Lee, two-time Olympic champion and world record holder in the 500 meters, absent. She chose to sit out the final two World Cups to rest her ailing knee and slipped from No. 1 to No. 4 in the points rankings as a result.

The ISU scheduled two 500m races in each of the six World Cup stops, and Lee won four of the first eight, while finishing second twice for 680 points.

Lee won her third career 500m title at the ISU World Single Distances Championships in Russia in February, and then declared her season over for precautionary reasons.

Heather Richardson-Bergsma of the United States finished first overall with 848 points, after finishing second in both of the races in Heerenveen.

Zhang Hong of China finished six points behind Richardson-Bergsma, after coming in fifth in the two races in Heerenveen.

Brittany Bowe of the United States won both Heerenveen races to leapfrog Lee and finish third overall, with 785 points. (Yonhap)