Japan’s Kodaira wins Olympic 500 over South Korea’s Lee

Nao Kodaira burst off the line, furiously pumping her arms and legs to build up speed. She shot around the oval in a blur and crossed the finish line, the 500meter Olympic speedskating gold medal easily in hand.

With two pairs to go, Kodaira could watch knowing that twotime defending champion Lee Sang-hwa was unlikely to catch her despite being propelled by the loud cheers of flag-waving Korean fans on Sunday night. She didn’t flinch. Kodaira was timed in 36.94 seconds, becoming the first woman to race under 37 seconds at sea level. She high-fived her coach after the last skater crossed the line and shook her fists in triumph.

Her time was an Olympic record, bettering the mark of 37.28 set by Lee four years ago in Sochi.

For the first time in eight speedskating events, the Netherlands failed to make the podium. But the country could take some credit for Kodaira’s victory.

After failing to medal four years ago in Sochi, the Japanese speedskater was prompted to move to the Netherlands and immerse herself in a country where speedskating is a national obsession.

Kodaira came into the Olympics as the reigning world champion in the 500 and the dominant sprinter on the World Cup circuit, where she has won 15 straight races dating to 2016.

Kodaira is just the second Japanese speedskater to win Olympic gold, joining Hiroyasu Shimizu, who won the men’s 500 at the 1998 Nagano Games.