Speed skating: Pechstein cracks Olympic standard above 3000 m

Two weeks after her 5000-metre coup, five-time Olympic champion Claudia Pechstein also broke the national Olympic standard on her secondary route. At the World Cup in Calgary in 3:59.13 minutes, the Berliner finished fifth over 3000 m at the World Cup in Calgary, thus fulfilling the second part of the Olympic norm on this distance.

Pechstein finished the first part in tenth place at the World Cup season opener in Heerenveen/Netherlands.

The victory was won by the Japanese Miho Takagi in 3:57.09 minutes ahead of the Dutch riders Antoinette de Jong and Ireen Wüst, who won the Olympic gold medal in 2006 and 2014.

Two weeks ago, Pechstein finished the World Cup in Stavanger after a memorable first over 5000 m run and fulfilled the national standard on her special course.

As the best German long-distance runner, her appointment to the Olympic squad for Pyeongchang is only a formality.

The Winter Games in South Korea will take place between the 9th and 9th week. and 25. February. For Pechstein, this would be his seventh participation in the Winter Olympics.