Yukino Yoshida wins women’s 500m in 37.65 for first World Cup gold of the season, virtually seals Milano Olympic spot [Speed Skating World Cup Hamar]
At Round 4 of the ISU Speed Skating World Cup in Hamar, Norway, held on 14 December local time (early 15 December Japan time), 22-year-old Yukino Yoshida (Kotobukihiro) claimed victory in the women’s 500m second race with a superb time of 37.653. It was her first World Cup win of the season and her third podium, virtually guaranteeing her a place on Japan’s team for the 2026 Milano–Cortina Winter Olympics.
The competition venue was the iconic “Vikingskipet” (“Viking Ship”), which will also host events at the Winter Olympics. This season’s World Cup series is a crucial selection phase in which results from the four pre-Christmas rounds are directly tied to Olympic qualification. To win at Hamar in the final round of this series makes this race hugely significant for Japan’s women’s sprint squad.
Race story: Dominant 37.653 from the final pair
Yoshida skated in the final pair of the women’s 500m second race. She exploded out of the blocks with a sharp start, covering the opening 100m in 10.34, the fastest split of the day. From there she kept her speed high, piecing together a clean back straight and final corner to stop the clock at 37.653.
Second place went to Kaja Ziomek-Nogal (Poland) in 37.831, with Kim Min-sun (Korea) third in 37.835. Just 0.182 seconds separated the top three in an extremely tight battle, and Yoshida edged it by thousandths of a second to stand on top of the World Cup podium in the 500m for the first time this season.
At the previous week’s third round in Heerenveen she had finished 4th, narrowly missing the podium, so this victory feels like a run that can change the entire flow of her season. Japan’s “sprint ace” has clearly shifted up another gear with the Olympic year fast approaching.
Women’s 500m second race – results (World Cup Round 4, Hamar)
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yukino Yoshida | Japan | 37.653 | — |
| 2 | Kaja Ziomek-Nogal | Poland | 37.831 | +0.178 |
| 3 | Kim Min-sun | Republic of Korea | 37.835 | +0.182 |
| 4 | Lee Na-hyun | Republic of Korea | 37.915 | +0.262 |
| 5 | Martyna Baran | Poland | 37.949 | +0.296 |
*Data source: official ISU results (ISU Speed Skating World Cup 4 – Women’s 500m Race 2).
Third podium of the season, third career World Cup win – big step towards Milano Olympics
This season Yoshida first reached the podium with a 3rd place in the women’s 500m at the opening round in Salt Lake City (Round 1), and she added another 3rd place in the first 500m race at Hamar. This latest victory makes it three podiums for the season and brings her to three World Cup wins in total, including last season’s first career triumph in Nagano.
The Japan Skating Federation has set selection criteria stating that athletes who produce sufficiently strong results across the four pre-Christmas World Cup rounds can be chosen for the Milano–Cortina Olympics regardless of their performance at the national championships. By winning the women’s 500m in Hamar, Yoshida has met those standards, and Japanese media widely report that her Olympic spot is now “all but confirmed”. The dream of skating at her first Winter Olympics is rapidly becoming reality.
Women’s team pursuit also 3rd – Japan reach the podium in every World Cup round
In the women’s team pursuit on the final day, the Japanese trio of Momoka Horikawa, Miho Takagi and Ayano Sato clocked 2:58.622 to finish 3rd. Japan have now reached the podium in all three women’s team pursuit races held in this season’s World Cup, underlining their status as leading medal contenders for the Olympics.
Who is Yukino Yoshida? A sprint ace from Iwate
Yukino Yoshida was born on 29 January 2003 in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, and is 22 years old. She first tried skating at age 10 when, while waiting in a cold rink for her brother to finish practice, she was told, “If you’re cold, why don’t you try skating too?” She now represents Kotobukihiro Co., Ltd. and trains under coach Yuya Oikawa, developing into a world-class sprinter specialising in the 500m and 1000m.
Her talent stood out from her junior days. At the 2020 Lausanne Winter Youth Olympics, she won bronze in the 500m and gold in the mixed team sprint. At the 2022 World Junior Championships, she took gold in the 1000m and silver in the 500m, reaching the podium in two events. Since moving up to the senior ranks, she has placed 6th in the 500m and 8th in the 1000m at the 2025 World Single Distances Championships, steadily establishing herself as a regular finalist on the world stage.
Her sporting idol is fellow Iwate native Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers). She jokes that her motto is “not having a fixed motto”, yet she also reveals a quirky side in rituals such as always eating udon before races.
Towards Milano–Cortina 2026 – emerging as a medal contender in the women’s 500m
The women’s 500m is one of the most fiercely contested events in speed skating, featuring sprint stars such as the Netherlands’ Femke Kok who regularly produce world-record-level times. Within that environment, Yoshida has strengthened her presence as part of the global elite by collecting multiple wins and medals in World Cup races.
If she can reproduce the kind of solid, mistake-free skating from start to finish that she showed in Hamar at the Olympic Games, not only the podium but even the fight for gold will be a realistic target. From Iwate to the world stage – the question now is what kind of story this 22-year-old sprint ace will write on the ice of Milano–Cortina.
