Feb. 12 (UPI) — Japan set an Olympic record Saturday during the women’s speed skating team pursuit at the Beijing Winter Games.
The Japanese team’s time of 2:53.61 came during the quarter-final race and narrowly eclipsed the previous mark of 2:53.89 during the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, which was also set by Japan.
Japan also holds the world record in the event of 2:50.76, which was set in 2020 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Canada finished in second place Saturday, a scant 0.36 seconds behind Japan’s trio of Miho Takagi, Nana Takagi and Ayano Sato, followed by the Netherlands in third.
The Russian Olympic Committee team finished fourth. All four teams qualified for Tuesday’s semifinal races.
Japan will face the ROC in one semifinal while Canada will square off against the Netherlands.
Teams from Poland, Norway, Belarus and China failed to advance from the quarterfinals.
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