China's Gao Tingyu (top) and Chinese Taipei's Tai Wei-Lin compete during the 1st 500m Men Division B on Day 1 of ISU World Cup Speed Skating at National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, capital of China, Nov 17, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING -- Beijing Olympic Winter Games titlist Gao Tingyu is striving to find back his top form, finishing first in the men's 500m Division B at the ongoing Speed Skating World Cup here on Friday.

Gao clocked a winning 34.87 seconds in the morning session, improving from 35.02s at the China Cup on November 11 in Harbin, which was his first competition in 21 months after his 500m victory at the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Racing again at the National Speed Skating Oval brought back memories from Beijing 2022 where Gao became China's first men's Olympic speed skating champion

"I was at my 70 percent or perhaps 80 percent today. Because I don't have race points from last season so I need to start from Division B," Gao explained. "I will move up to Division A tomorrow. It's good for me to gain more experience."

Racing again at the National Speed Skating Oval brought back memories from Beijing 2022 where Gao became China's first men's Olympic speed skating champion.

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"I was so happy to compete here again, hearing the cheers from the spectators and with my family and friends watching from the stands," he said.

"I was half a second slower than my winning result at the Beijing Winter Olympics, but I did my best today," he added.

25-year-old Gao went into a long break after the Beijing Games and just resumed training six months ago. He admitted that he needed some time to readjust to the strenuous training.

"It was painful training accompanied with injuries at the beginning," he said.

But once stepping on the ice rink, he "instantly let out all my energies as if it was in my instinct."

"I am coming back, starting afresh," he concluded.

Gold medalist Kjeld Nuis (center) of the Netherlands poses with silver medalist Patrick Roest (left) of the Netherlands and bronze medalist Ning Zhongyan of China during the awarding ceremony of the 1500m Men Division A on the Day 1 of ISU World Cup Speed Skating at National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, capital of China, Nov 17, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

China takes 3 medals

Three-time Olympic champion Kjeld Nuis sailed to the men's 1,500m victory while China pulled off three medals on the opening day of the Speed Skating World Cup here on Friday.

Dutchman Nuis, 34, returned to Beijing by triumphing in the 1,500m again, in one minute 44.80 seconds, after his successful defense of the 1,500m title at the Beijing Olympic Winter Games in 2022.

In the women's 1,500m, Chinese skater Han Mei, 25, clinched a silver medal in 1:55.929, following Japan's Miho Takagi who clocked a winning time of 1:55.52

His compatriot Patrick Roest was 0.56 seconds off the pace to bag a silver while former World Cup winner Ning Zhongyan of China was third in 1:45.51.

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"When I first competed in the 'Ice Ribbon (the National Speed Skating Oval)' last year, I was quite nervous. But tonight the feeling was totally different; I was relaxed, enjoying my race, the ice rink and the atmosphere," said Ning, who placed fifth at the Beijing Games, short of a podium finish but already creating the best result for the Chinese men's speed skaters in the 1,000m.

Ning also praised the eventual winner Nuis.

"He was such a great skater. I went all out to catch up with him. Competing with him boosted my morale," Ning said.

Gold medalist Takagi Miho (center) of Japan poses with silver medalist Han Mei (left) of China and bronze medalist Li Qishi of China during the awarding ceremony of the 1500m Women Division A on Day 1 of ISU World Cup Speed Skating at National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, capital of China, Nov 17, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

In the women's 1,500m, Chinese skater Han Mei, 25, clinched a silver medal in 1:55.929, following Japan's Miho Takagi who clocked a winning time of 1:55.52.

Han's teammate Li Qishi, who had come down with a fever in the morning, took bronze in 1:57.01.

25-year-old Han said she focuses on gaining experience at the World Cup series rather than just medals.

"I did not set specific goals for the World Cups which offer fine-tuning opportunities for me after a training cycle," she said.

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"My ultimate goal is to stand on the podium at the 2026 Winter Olympics," Han added.

In the men's 500m race, Japan's Wataru Morishige and Yuma Murakami had a one-two finish ahead of South Korean Kim Jun-ho.

The women's 500m race saw Americans Erin Jackson and Kimi Goetz take gold and silver respectively, while Kim Min-sun of South Korea came in third.

The World Cup in Beijing is the second of the World Series this season, slated for Nov. 17-19. The next event will be held in Stavanger, Norway starting on December 1.