Thanks to her first race in Beijing, Claudia Pechstein is now a record Olympian. The Berliner started with eight Olympic Games. However, the 49-year-old had nothing to do with the medal award.
As expected, five-time gold medalist Claudia Pechstein did not win a medal in her run to become a record Olympian. One day after her appearance as the German flag bearer at the opening ceremony in Beijing, the 49-year-old Berliner finished 20th and last place in the 3000m race with a time of 4:17.16 minutes. With her eighth start at the Winter Games, she caught up with the Japanese record participant Noriaki Kasai (ski jumping).
Pechstein: “A victory for me”
“Few will understand that I can still shine with this placement. But I’m doing it because I’m very proud of it,” said the overjoyed Pechstein afterwards: “It was a win for me.”
European champion Irene Schouten from the Netherlands won gold. The favorite beat Italy’s Francesca Lollobrigida in 3:56.93, the Olympic record, and secured her first Olympic gold medal. Isabelle Weidemann from Canada won bronze.
For Pechstein, the mass start is still pending at the end of the Winter Games.