SPORTS> China
Japan earn first universiade gold in speed skating
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-02-20 17:24

HARBIN - Long track speed skater Nao Kodaira claimed a surprising victory here Friday noon in women's 1,500 meters, making Japan the third country joining South Korea and hosts China to pocket a gold medal at the Harbin Universiade.

The 22-year-old short-course specialist, who never competed in the women's 1,500 meters race at a single official tournament of the International Skating Union (ISU), clocked a record setting time of one minute and 59.03 seconds to lifte the universiade mark up for 1.66 seconds.

Dong Feifei became the fourth Chinese narrowly missing a chance of finishing on the top of the podium after timing 1:59.27 in the race, a result also under the previous universiade record of 2:00.69 set by Poland's Katarzyna Wojcicka two years ago.

Her compatriot Ji Jia took the bronze medal on 2:01.28 as the world record of the discipline sits on a far better timing of one minute and 51.79 seconds, which was set by Cindy Klassen of Canada in Salt Lake City World Cup in late 2005.