China's Ning, Han win silvers at Four Continents Speed Skating Championships

TOKYO, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- China's Ning Zhongyan and Han Mei won silver medals in the men's and women's 1,500m competitions respectively, on the opening day of the ISU Four Continents Speed Skating Championships in Hachinohe, Japan, on Friday.

Ning, who topped the World Cup standings for the event, clocked one minute and 45.84 seconds to begin his 2024-2025 season, finishing 1.39 seconds behind reigning world champion Jordan Stolz of the United States. Taiyo Nonomura of Japan finished third in 1:46.01.

In the women's race, Japanese icon Miho Tagaki continued her dominance, cruising to victory in 1:54.86. Her pair, Han Mei, who is also her training partner, crossed the line 1.67 seconds behind.

"Tagaki is a skater that I deeply respect," 26-year-old Han said, before expressing dissatisfaction with her own performance, labeling it as "just average."

"I feel like I was not in my best form. I hope to make prompt adjustments and perform well in the following World Cups," she commented.

Canada's Ivanie Blondin overcame a slow start to secure bronze in 1:57.99. It was the second medal of the day for the 34-year-old Blondin, who also won gold in the women's team sprint, alongside Carolina Hiller and Beatrice Lamarche, earlier on Friday.

The Canadian team finished in 1:27.87 to take the victory. South Korea was 1.39 seconds behind, while Kazakhstan finished 1.10 seconds further adrift. China placed fifth, behind the host nation.

In the men's team sprint, the United States edged China by 0.35 seconds to win gold, while Canada claimed bronze.

The season-opening tournament will continue on Saturday with men's and women's 500m, women's 3,000m, and men's 5,000m competitions.