Speed skating: Patrick Beckert in fifth place at home game

Patrick Beckert, the speed skating hopeful Patrick Beckert, just under three weeks before the Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang (9. till 25. February) missed a podium position. At the World Cup on his home track in Erfurt, the 27-year-old finished fifth on Saturday at over 5000 m in 6:19.53 minutes.

Beckert was happy with the result:”I wanted to do a technically good run, the ranking was of secondary importance,” said Beckert:”I can be satisfied with the time.

The gap to the outstanding winner of the day, Sverre Lunde Pedersen, was nevertheless comparatively large. The Norwegian set a track record in 6:14.66 minutes and improved the almost nine years old record of the Dutch superstar Sven Kramer (6:16.02). Kramer, one of the gold favourites in South Korea, had decided not to start in Erfurt.

Second place went to the Italian Nicola Tumolero (6:16,11) ahead of world record holder Ted-Jan Bloemen (Canada/6:17,11), who won the direct duel with Beckert. The second German starter, Moritz Geisreiter from Inzell, had to settle for tenth place in 6:22.42.”That’s not what I wanted,” said Geisreiter:”The legs were a bit tight.