Japan's Miho Takagi and Tatsuya Shinhama both finished second in 1,000-meter races at the third speed skating World Cup event of the season Friday.
Women's Beijing Olympics gold medalist Takagi clocked 1 minute, 15.52 seconds, 0.26 behind winner Jutta Leerdam in Stavanger, Norway, where Dutch compatriot Antoinette Rijpma-De Jong rounded off the podium finishing 0.48 behind Leerdam.
"I couldn't skate the way I wanted from the start," the 29-year-old said. "It wasn't a skating issue but more about not managing to fully prepare for the race."
Shinhama came in 1:08.88 in the men's race but was 0.12 off another Dutch winner on the day, Kjeld Nuis. Fellow Japanese Kazuya Yamada came third, crossing 0.34 behind Nuis.
"The race went as I'd imagined, but it's frustrating as I could have won the title by beating the opponent in my race," the 27-year-old Shinhama said.
"There's a feeling I could have won it had I kept my shape until the end and stayed a bit more tenacious."
Related coverage:
Speed skating: Miho Takagi wins 1,000 at World Cup in Beijing
Speed skating: Miho Takagi wins 2nd straight 1,500 World Cup crown
Speed skating: Japan's Morishige wins 3rd career World Cup men's 500
