Takagi narrowly beaten by Dutch rival Leerdam in 1,000

HEERENVEEN, Netherlands – Japan’s Olympic 1000-meter champion Miho Takagi narrowly lost to Dutch rival Jutta Leerdam over the distance Friday at this season’s third World Cup speed skating round in the Netherlands.

Skating in the first pairing, Takagi clocked 1 minute, 14.29 seconds and remained in position for the gold medal until Leerdam shaved 0.12 second off her time while racing in the final pairing.

Dutch sprinter Femke Kok took bronze in 1:14.46, while Japan’s Rio Yamada and Yukino Yoshida were seventh and ninth, respectively, at the Thialf arena in Heerenveen.

The 31-year-old Takagi said she struggled on her final lap and was surprised to remain in the lead for so long, as several opponents also finished well outside their best times.

“I lost two seconds (on the final lap) and felt like I wasn’t doing too well, but the others also had slower times than I expected,” she said.

“It was a strange feeling. I thought it would be tough to get on the podium, so I’m glad I was able to make it. I’m deeply regretting my lack of finishing ability at the end.”

In the men’s 1,500, U.S. star Jordan Stolz smashed the track record with a time of 1:42.55 to remain unbeaten this season.

This season’s four World Cup rounds serve as qualification events for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.