Speedskater Christine Nesbitt breaks 1,000-metre world record

CALGARY – Canadian speedskater Christine Nesbitt set a world record in the 1,000 metres at the world sprint championship Saturday.

Nesbitt’s time of one minute 12.68 seconds at the Olympic Oval in Calgary bettered the previous mark of 1:13.11 set by Canadian Cindy Klassen in 2006 on the same ice.

Get breaking National news

Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won't miss a trending story.

Sign up for breaking National newsletter Get Started

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“It felt really, really powerful and it was the first time this year where I felt like every single stride, I felt a lot of pressure and a lot of power going into the ice,” Nesbitt said after the race.

Nesbitt is the women’s defending champion in the world sprint championship and is also the reigning Olympic champion in the 1,000 metres.

“This was a better race than my Olympic gold-medal race, so that’s really cool,” she said. “I think it’s probably one of biggest accomplishments to set a world record and on top of that, one of Cindy’s.”

The 26-year-old from London, Ont., was ahead of world-record pace right from the starting gun.