Winter Olympic champion Lee Sang-Hwa of South Korea won the women's 500 meters and Nao Kodaira turned in a runner-up finish at the first World Cup meet of the season on Friday.

Lee, who defended her Olympic title at this year's Sochi Games, posted a time of 38.07 seconds at Hokkaido Tokachi Oval, finishing 0.11 ahead of Kodaira. Russia's Olga Fatkulina was third in 38.50. Arisa Go was 10th.

Japan, however, was shut out of the medals in the men's 500, with Ryohei Haga's seventh-place finish the best result for local sprinters. Keiichiro Nagashima could only manage 10th.

Sochi silver medalist Jan Smeekens of the Netherlands triumphed in 35.06 and Russians Pavel Kulizhnikov and Ruslan Murashov took second and third, respectively, with times of 35.16 and 35.24.

Nana Takagi was eighth in the women's 3,000 won by Dutchwoman Ireen Wust.