Speed skater Nico Ihle has made a solid start to the Sprint World Championships in Changchun, China. One week after the end of the disappointing Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, the Chemnitz rider finished ninth in 35.04 seconds at the start of the 500 m race.
Havard Lorentzen from Norway (34.89), who was once again successful at the Olympics, was significantly less behind him than in South Korea. At the Winter Games, Ihle finished eighth place almost half a second behind Lorentzen. The second German starter Joel Dufter (Inzell/35.68) did not reach the 20th place in China. Rank beyond.
Among the women Gabriele Hirschbichler (Inzell), the only German starter, missed a top 10 position. The 34-year-old finished twelfth in 39.14 seconds. Olympic champion Nao Kodaira from Japan (37,23) set the fastest time.
On Saturday, the sprinters will have a 1000m race on the agenda. On Sunday there will be another run over both distances. Ihle is aiming for a place among the top five in the overall ranking.