Kodaira breaks Olympic record to win women's 500m speed skating

Nao Kodaira. Pic/AFP

Nao Kodaira of Japan broke the Olympic record here on Sunday on her way to winning the women's 500 meters speed skating at the Winter Games. Having claimed victory in each of her last 15 World Cup appearances in the women's 500m from 2016 to 2018, reigning world champion Kodaira recorded a winning time of 36.94 seconds, shattering the old Olympic record of 37.28 seconds set by South Korean Lee Sang-Hwa at the Sochi Games four years ago.

Kodaira, also the silver medallist in Wednesday's 1,000m race, became the second Japanese speed skater to win an Olympic gold behind Hiroyasu Shimizu, who reaped the title of the men's 500m in Nagano in 1998, reports Xinhua news agency.

Two-time defending Olympic champion and world record holder Lee settled for the silver with a time of 37.33 seconds, 0.01 seconds ahead of bronze medal winner Karolina Erbanova from the Czech Republic. Chinese Yu Jing finished ninth at 37.81 seconds.

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