Three-time Olympic medalist Hiroyasu Shimizu rewrote his own meet record in both runnings of the men's 500 meters to win his second straight title at the Makomanai invitational speed skating competition on Saturday.
Shimizu clocked 36.26 seconds on his first attempt at the Makomanai open stadium outdoor rink in Sapporo en route to finishing with a total of 1:13.04 for his best effort at the meet and fifth overall title. In women's action, Shihomi Shinya marked 39.86 on her first try in the 500 and completed the race with a time of 1:19.68 to capture her first ever title. Tomomi Okazaki and Yukari Watanabe were both disqualified for two false starts.