Japan, Netherlands claim 2 golds each at Speed Skating WC in Beijing

Skaters from Japan and the Netherlands won two titles each while the hosts, China, secured a silver medal in the men's team sprint on the second day of the Speed Skating World Cup at the National Speed Skating Oval here on Saturday, reported Xinhua.

Wataru Morishige of Japan led with a winning time of 34.69 seconds in the men's 500m, followed by Laurent Dubreuil of Canada with 34.81 and Yuma Murakami of Japan with 34.82, respectively.

Local favorite Gao Tingyu, who took a 21-month break after his victory in the Beijing Olympic Winter Games, narrowly missed the podium with a time of 34.94, marking his first competition appearance since Friday when he finished first in the men's 500m division B in 34.87.

"It was a below-par result. Maybe it was due to my slight injury the day before or maybe it was not the right time to reach my peak form. I felt a bit sluggish during the competition," said the 25-year-old.

"I will try to compete at the rest of the World Cup stops as well as our Chinese National Winter Games next February, and hopefully find out my own rhythm of the race," Gao added.

In the women's 1,000m, Olympic champion Miho Takagi of Japan clinched the top spot in 1:14.44, edging out Kimi Goetz of the United States by just 0.01. Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands captured the bronze medal in 1:14.88, while 30-year-old Chinese star Li Qishi finished a commendable fourth with 1:15.66.

Patrick Roest of the Netherlands demonstrated his supremacy in the men's 5,000m with an impressive time of 6:11.40, while his compatriot Marijke Groenewoud triumphed in the women's mass start in 8:24.71, with triple Olympic champion Irene Schouten of the Netherlands finishing fifth.

"I am very happy to return to 'Ice Ribbon' where I had sweet memories here during the Winter Olympic Games because I won in 3,000m, 5,000m and mass start two years ago," Schouten said.

The American team led the men's team sprint with a time of 1:20.27, with the host nation, China, which had previously achieved two golds and one silver in recent World Cups, securing the silver medal in 1:20.72. Team Netherlands finished third.

The World Cup in Beijing, serving as the second event of the World Series this season, took place from Nov. 17-19. The next competition is scheduled to be held in Stavanger, Norway, starting on December 1.