Beijing (AP) – Ireen Wüst missed her 14th medal in her last Olympic speed skating race.
The 35-year-old Dutchwoman finished sixth in the 1000 meters in 1:15.11 minutes at the Winter Games in Beijing. Wüst, who was the first speed skater to win gold at five Olympic Winter Games in China with her victory over 1500 meters, will end her career after the World Cup final on the second weekend in March in her native Heerenveen.
“I had mixed feelings. It was my last Olympic race, I thought I’d make it onto the podium. But I made a few mistakes right from the start,” said the six-time Olympic champion. In addition to gold over 1500 meters, she also won bronze in the team pursuit in Beijing. “I had hoped for a spectacular last race, but it turned out differently. But overall I’m looking forward to great games. Now there’s only one more race in Heerenveen and then my retirement,” explained Wüst.
Miho Takagi from Japan became Olympic champion in the Olympic record time of 1:13.19 minutes. European champion Jutta Leerdam from the Netherlands won silver in 1:13.93 minutes. 33-year-old Brittany Bowe of the USA secured the bronze medal in 1:14.61 minutes. German speed skaters had not qualified for the 1000 meter race via the World Cup.