St. Moritz, Switzerland, January 13, 2020: Arito Motonaga earned Japan its second gold medal and fourth in all at the speed skating competition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games on Monday. Motonaga won the men’s 1500m with a time of 1:52.24 to continue Japan’s impressive run on the frozen lake of the St. Moritz Speed Skating Oval.
“I was aiming for the gold medal today, so I’m really happy to have achieved my goal. I feel proud about my race,” said the Japanese youngster.
Pavel Taran (RUS) finished second in 1:53.74 and Jonathan Tobon (USA) grabbed bronze.
In the women’s 1500m, Myrthe de Boer (NED) took gold in 2 minutes, 10.44 seconds ahead of Yuka Takahashi (JPN) and Yang Binyu (CHN).
“Today it was very, very windy,” said bronze medallist Yang of her 2:10.93 time. “It’s difficult to skate that way. I feel a little sick, it’s too hard.”
Source: www.lausanne2020.sport