The Dutch women’s pursuit team failed to prolong their Olympic speed skating title on Wednesday, as Japan finished the race in a new Olympic and world record time.

Ireen Wüst, Marrit Leenstra and Antoinette de Jong trailed slightly in the first two laps, then overtook the Japanese team, who showed their strength in a sprint finish to complete the event. America took the bronze medal.

Ireen Wüst, skating in her last Olympics, said after the race: ‘It is a shame that I could not end with a gold, but I am proud of my performance and that of the team, even though we are disappointed. ‘

In the men’s team pursuit competition, the Dutch men took the bronze medal. Gold went to Norway and silver to South Korea.