Former speed skater Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann (55) has lost her track record on the Olympic course in Hamar, Norway, after 21 years.
Over 3000 m, Olympic champion Irene Schouten (Netherlands) was a good two seconds faster than the German at the World Championships on Saturday and won the race.
On February 17, 2001, Niemann-Stirnemann had set the record time of 4:00.26 minutes for Hamar, which had been the record for a long time.
The “Vikingskipet” in the Norwegian city was the site of the 1994 Olympic Games and is considered one of the fastest railways in the world.