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Polish speed skater claims maiden World Cup win

05.12.2021 20:30
Andżelika Wójcik has become the first Polish female speed skater since Erwina Ryś-Ferens in 1988 to win a World Cup event, news outlets have reported.
Andżelika Wójcik skates to victory in the womens 500 metres at the speed skating World Cup in Salt Lake City on Saturday.
Andżelika Wójcik skates to victory in the women’s 500 metres at the speed skating World Cup in Salt Lake City on Saturday.Photo: EPA/GEORGE FREY

The 25-year-old on Saturday won the women’s 500 metres at the speed skating World Cup in Salt Lake City, setting a national record of 36.775 seconds in the process.

Her Finnish coach Tuomas Nieminen commented in a Facebook post: "Speechless! Insane race from Andżelika Wójcik. So happy to see that all hard work we put in, all sacrifices what we have done pays off."

Wójcik finished ahead of Russia's second-placed Angelina Golikova and third-placed Olga Fatkulina in the final, delivering a strong performance two months before the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Poland's Andżelika Wójcik celebrates her first-place finish in the women's 500m race at the speed skating World Cup in Salt Lake City, USA, Dec. 4, 2021. Poland's Andżelika Wójcik celebrates her first-place finish in the women's 500m race at the speed skating World Cup in Salt Lake City, USA, Dec. 4, 2021. Photo: EPA/GEORGE FREY

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Source: PAP, TVP