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Nao Kodaira claims 10th national 500 meters title

Nao Kodaira competes in the women's 500 meters at the National Single Distance Championships on Friday in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture. | KYODO

Kyodo

HACHINOHE, AOMORI PREF. – Nao Kodaira won her 10th National Single Distance Championships title in the women’s 500 meters on Friday.

Kodaira cruised to her fifth straight title by finishing the race in 37.66 seconds at the newly built YS Arena Hachinohe.

Miho Takagi, who claimed three medals at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, finished 0.71 behind for runner-up, while Maki Tsuji was third in 38.44.

“I’ve been able to compete for a long time because I’ve put in a lot of effort,” said the 33-year-old Kodaira, who won the 500 at the Pyeongchang Games

In the men’s 500 meters, Tatsuya Shinhama crossed the line in 34.72 to win the event for the second straight year. Yuma Murakami finished runner-up, while Yamato Matsui was third.