Olympic Games 2018: Speed skating: Japanese women win team pursuit

The Japanese speed skaters won gold in team pursuit at the winter games in Pyeongchang/South Korea and prevented the Netherlands from winning their second consecutive victory. The Japanese trio Takagi Miho, Sato Ayano and Takagi Nana beat the Oranje team around Ireen Wüst in the final in 2:53.89 minutes (2:55.48). Bronze went to the USA, winner in the B-final against Canada.

Wüst missed the chance to become the new number one in Olympic speed skating history.

With her sixth Olympic victory, the 31-year-old would have passed Lidija Skoblikowa, who won six gold medals for the Soviet Union between 1960 and 1964.

In contrast to Wüst, Skoblikowa has never won silver or bronze. Wüst’s record is still five gold, four silver and one bronze.

The German team with Claudia Pechstein (Berlin), Roxanne Dufter and Gabriele Hirschbichler (both Inzell) took sixth place. The Olympic champion of 2006 and 2010 had to admit defeat in the duel for fifth place in 3:04.67 minutes China (3:00,04).