Other Sports: Olympics-Speed skating-Schouten wins gold with Olympic record in women’s 3,000m

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BEIJING (Reuters) – Dutch speedskater Irene Schouten gained gold in the women’s 3,000 metres with an Olympic record on the Beijing Winter Games on Saturday.

Italy’s Francesca Lollobrigida, who led in the early levels of the ultimate race, couldn’t maintain on to her benefit and completed with silver, whereas Isabelle Weidemann of Canada gained the bronze.

Schouten’s time of three minutes 56.93 seconds beat the Olympic record of three:57.70 set by German Claudia Pechstein on the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.

Lollobrigida clocked 3:58.06 and Weidemann 3:58.64. World record holder Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic was fourth.

Pechstein turned the oldest lady to compete at a Winter Olympics, on the age of 49, when she completed final in the 20-athlete subject, at her eighth Olympics.

The 30-year-old Lollobrigida, a great-niece of Nineteen Fifties and Nineteen Sixties movie star Gina Lollobrigida, saved a gentle lead forward of Schouten in the early levels because the pair glided across the National Speed Skating Oval.

Schouten, 29, by no means let the Italian stray too far and overtook her on the halfway level of the race earlier than crossing the road first to take the gold and the record.

(Reporting by Sakura Murakami; enhancing by Clare Fallon)



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