Germany’s Claudia Pechstein has become the oldest woman to compete at a Winter Olympics. The 49-year-old raced in the 3,000 meters, the opening event of the speedskating competition at the Ice Ribbon.
She becomes just the second athlete — and first woman — to compete in eight Winter Games.
Pechstein’s career includes nine Olympic medals and a two-year doping ban, which she continues to fight in court. She tied Japanese ski jumper Noriaki Kasai for the most Winter Olympics.
Pechstein, who turns 50 two days after the end of the Beijing Games, finished with a time of 4 minutes, 17.16 seconds in the opening pair of the event.
That was nearly 20 seconds off the former Olympic record she set at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. She won her first medals at the Lillehammer Olympics of 1994.
