Japan's Miho Takagi won her first individual gold medal of the world speed skating single distances championships Saturday in the women's 1,000 meters.
The Beijing Olympics winner over the distance clocked 1 minute, 12.83 seconds at Calgary Olympic Oval, finishing 0.44 ahead of Chinese runner-up Han Mei. Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands was another 0.01 behind in third.
"I could pay back the people supporting me with the gold medal, and it touches my heart," Takagi said.
The 29-year-old Hokkaido native swiftly turned her attention to Sunday when she races in the 1,500 event, the distance in which she holds the world record of 1:49.83.
"I've been targeting the 1,500 at this competition for the past year. My focus has (already) shifted," she said.
Jordan Stolz of the United States won the men's 1,000 for the second straight year after logging 1:06.05. He had already retained the 500 gold on Friday.
Ning Zhongyan of China came second and Kjeld Nuis of the Netherlands third, with Tatsuya Shinhama the highest-placed Japanese in sixth.
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