Visser claims women's speed skating title at Pyeongchang Games

Feb. 16 (UPI) -- Esmee Visser of the Netherlands upset defending champion and world record holder Martina Sablikova from Czech Republic to win the women's 5,000 meters race on Friday at the Pyeongchang Winter Games.

Visser clocked six minutes and 50.23 seconds at the Olympic Games following Yvonne van Gennip's triumph at the Calgary Games in 1988.

Visser, 22 years and 20 days old, is the second youngest Olympic champion in this event after Germany's Claudia Pechstein, who won the 5,000m three days after her 22nd birthday at the Lillehammer Games in 1994.

"I'm in the mood for a race, focus on how I'm doing it, and then I'm doing it." But I never thought about it," Visser said.

"It feels amazing, I'm not realizing it yet, I think it's amazing."

Sablikova took the silver with a time of 6: 51.85 and the bronze medal went to Olympic athlete from Russia Natalia Voronina in 6: 53.98.

Having struggled with back injuries early, Sablikova came back in training for only one month and a half before winning her sixth medal at Olympic Winter Games.

"I'm really happy now and I do not know what to say," Sablikova said. "This means everything." "We had this year, so [many] problems." Now it's a satisfaction, it's not matter what it was, I'm happy.