HAMAR, Norway, Dec 15 (Kyodo/APP): Japanese speed skater Yukino Yoshida booked her spot in the women’s 500 meters at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics as she powered to victory over the distance in Sunday’s World Cup round.
Yoshida clocked 37.65 seconds in Hamar, Norway, to win her first gold of the season ahead of Poland’s Kaja Ziomek-Nogal and South Korea’s Kim Min Sun.
The 22-year-old Yoshida has reached the World Cup podium three times during the current campaign and becomes the second Japanese woman to qualify for an individual speed skating event at the Feb. 6-22 Winter Games.
Miho Takagi, Japan’s standout performer at the 2022 Beijing Games, has secured her berth in the 1,000 and 1,500.
Japan will also contest the women’s team pursuit at the Olympics, with the trio of Takagi, Sumire Kikuchi and Ayano Sato sealing qualification with a third-place finish in Hamar.