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| Event type

3,000 metres, Women

Date 5 February 2022 — 16:30
StatusOlympic
LocationNational Speed Skating Oval, Olympic Green, Beijing
Participants20 from 12 countries
Olympic Record 3:57.70 WR / Claudia Pechstein GER / 10 February 2002
RefereeTrevis BoydCAN
StarterBartosz DawidowskiPOL

Due to the reduction in overall speed skating athlete quota, the number of skaters in the 3,000 m had been reduced from 22 to 20. The heavy favorite for the gold in Beijing was Irene Schouten, who had won the first two World Cups of the season by large margins, and had also claimed the European title in January. She had gotten close competition from compatriot Antoinette de Jong, the 2021 World Champion, and Francesca Lollobrigida, who had won the third 2021/2022 World Cup in Schouten’s absence.

The first contenders for a medal came in the third pair. Defending champion Carlijn Achtereekte, who had only narrowly qualified for the Dutch team, faced Miho Takagi, the 2018 all-around world champion. Despite challenge, Takagi led all the way to 4:01.77, dethroning Achtereekte. De Jong, in the first pair after the ice preparation break, attacked that time, but faded in the second half of her race and finished in 4:02.37, which eventually would bring her eighth place.

The 2010 champion Martina Sáblíková also attacked Takagi’s time, but managed to keep a gap of around one second, eventually finishing in 4:00.34. In pair nine, reigning 1,500 m World Champion Ragne Wiklund recorded the fastest time after 2,200 m, a second ahead of Sáblíková. But while Wiklund faded, her pairmate Isabelle Weidemann ended with two solid laps to become the first under 4 minutes with 3:58.64.

Per her usual tactics, Lollobrigida led from the start in the final pair, trailed by Schouten. Both were well below Weidemann’s pace halfway through the race. Schouten passed the Italian after 2 km, but Lollobrigida managed to cling on, and just 0.29 seconds separated the two at the bell. Schouten then powered away to a new Olympic Record (3:56.93), while Lollobrigida held on for silver – the first ever Olympic speed skating medal by an Italian woman.

Despite placing in the back of the field, 2002 champion Claudia Pechstein broke several records. This race meant her eighth Olympic Winter Games appearance, tying the record in any sport for most participations, held by Japanese ski jumper Noriaki Kasai. Just two weeks shy of her 50th birthday, she also became the oldest female winter Olympian, and the second-oldest Olympic speed skater (behind Albert Tebbit).

PosPairCompetitorNOCTime
110OIrene SchoutenNED3:56.93GoldOR
210IFrancesca LollobrigidaITA3:58.06Silver
39IIsabelle WeidemannCAN3:58.64Bronze
48IMartina SáblíkováCZE4:00.34
59ORagne WiklundNOR4:01.44
63IMiho TakagiJPN4:01.77
73OCarlijn AchtereekteNED4:02.21
86OAntoinette de JongNED4:02.37
96IAyano SatoJPN4:03.40
104OYevgeniya LalenkovaROC4:03.42
115ONataliya VoroninaROC4:03.84
125IValérie MaltaisCAN4:04.27
132ONadezhda MorozovaKAZ4:04.97
148OIvanie BlondinCAN4:06.40
157OHan MeiCHN4:07.74
167IMaryna ZuyevaBLR4:08.70
171IAhenaer AdakeCHN4:12.28
184INikola ZdráhalováCZE4:13.13
192IMia KilburgUSA4:13.42
201OClaudia PechsteinGER4:17.16