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Olympic champion Zhang falls short of setting world record

Xinhua, January 25, 2016 Adjust font size:

Olympic speed skating champion Zhang Hong claimed her third gold medal at the Chinese National Winter Games on Monday when she powered to victory in the women's 1,000m final.

Zhang clocked 1 minute 14.69 seconds to take the national title, adding to her success earlier in the 500m and 1,500m events.

But the 27-year-old Zhang, who had vowed to set a world record in Xinjiang ahead of the National Winter Games, fell short of her expectations. Her time in the 1,000m was well behind the current world mark of 1:12.51.

"I ran out of steam after yesterday's 500m final, so I failed to deliver my best form today," said Zhang, who ended China's 34-year wait for an Olympic gold in speed skating when she stormed to women's 1,000m gold in the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014.

"Hopefully I can skate faster next time in Xinjiang."

Hours after the 1,000m final, Zhang will be heading for Norway for the fifth leg of the ISU World Cup series.

"The Norway World Cup race is scheduled to take place on Friday, so I have no time to rest. This World Cup event serves as a qualification for the upcoming world championships. I will try to skate as fast as I can," said Zhang.

Liu Yiming, who is also coached by Feng Qingbo, matched teammate Zhang Hong's feat by collecting three gold medals from these Games.

The 21-year-old was timed 13:35.84 in the men's 10,000m speed skating final on Monday, beating the national record by more than five seconds. He has also won the 1,500m and 5,000m events.

National record holder Li Bailin won the men's 1,000m, his specialty event, in 1 minute 10.03 seconds, while Hao Jiachen took the women's 5,000m title in 7 minutes 16.94 seconds.

Yan Xingyuan, who had finished fourth in the men's cross-country skiing, displayed his versatility when he won the silver medal in the men's 10km biathlon.

The figure skating competition will kick off on Tuesday, and five gold medals are up for grabs in snowboarding, biathlon and freestyle skiing.

The 13th National Winter Games will run through Jan. 30. For the first time since the winter sports gala was introduced in 1959 the games have been held outside the northeastern provinces of Heilongjiang and Jilin, where the frigid climate means winter sports have traditionally enjoyed huge popularity. Endit