Germany’s Claudia Pechstein became the first woman to compete at eight Winter Olympics on Saturday when she competed in 3,000 metres speed-skating.
The 49-year-old Pechstein crossed the line with her arms raised up high and with a big smile at the National Speed Skating Oval in the Chinese capital.
It did not matter that her time of four minutes 17.16 was almost 20 seconds slower than her Olympic record 3:57.70 from 2002.
That record was bettered later Saturday by Dutch gold medallist Irene Schouten.
The only other athlete who has competed at eight Games is Japanese ski jumper Noriaki Kasai on the men’s side.
Pechstein’s race came the day after she carried the German flag together with bobsledder Francesco Friedrich at the opening ceremony.
“I was not too fast, but I smiled because today (Saturday) I got my goal to race in my eighth Olympic Games. This was important for me,” Pechstein said.
“Yesterday (Friday) I carried the flag. It was an amazing moment, a top moment in my career.
“I am the only woman in the whole world to be at eight Olympic Winter Games. The result of today was not so important, it was just to race and to be here. I am super proud.”
Pechstein made her Games debut 1992 in Albertville and is Germany’s most successful Winter Olympian with five gold, two silver and two bronze medals.
She was originally only nominated for the mass start race but also got a 3,000m berth via World Cup results.
Pechstein said she “ever expected” to feature in eight Games, adding: “Yesterday a Dutch journalist asked me, ’20 years ago you made your first Olympics’? I said ‘no, no, it’s been 30 years’.
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“It’s really different now compared to other Olympics, but it’s a real special one because of the COVID-19 situation. It’s just everything together. I’m just very proud to be here.”
