PYEONGCHANG, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Esmee Visser of the Netherlands upset defending champion and world record holder Martina Sablikova from Czech Republic to win the women's 5,000 meters race here on Friday at the PyeongChang Winter Games.
Visser clocked six minutes and 50.23 seconds to become the second Dutchwoman to win this event at the Olympic Winter Games following Yvonne van Gennip's triumph at the Calgary Games in 1988.
Visser, 22 years and 20 days old, is the second youngest Olympic champion in this event after Germany's Claudia Pechstein, who won the 5,000m three days after her 22nd birthday at the Lillehammer Games in 1994.
"I told myself to just enjoy the race, focus on how I skate and what I've done in training, then something is possible. But I never imagined this. I thought a podium would be good, I never thought about this (gold)," said Visser.
"It feels amazing. I'm not realizing it yet. I think it has to take a few more days, but it's amazing for now."
Sablikova took the silver with a time of 6:51.85 and the bronze medal went to Olympic athlete from Russia Natalia Voronina in 6:53.98.
Having struggled with back injuries early this season, Sablikova came back in training for only one month and a half before winning her sixth medal at Olympic Winter Games.
"After all the problems this season, I now have a silver medal. So, I'm really happy and I don't know what to say," said Sablikova. "This means everything. We had, this year, so (many) problems. Now it's satisfaction for me. It doesn't matter what it was three months before. Now I have a silver, I'm happy."
